LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

-ri 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



IMPROVEMENT 



OF 



THE MIND 



/ 

BY ISAAC WATTS, D.D. 

• 4 









EDITED DY 

STEPHEN N. FELLOWS, D.D. 

PItOFESSOR OF MENTAL AND MORAL SCIENCE, AND DIDACTICS, IN THE 
STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 



"Whoever has the care of instructing others, may be charged with 
deficiency in his duty, if this book is not recommended." 

—Dr. Johnson 







'-£>! 



& 



A. S. BARNES & COMPANY 

NEW YORK AND CHICAGO 






Copyright, 1885, Oy A. 3. Barms *fr Vo 



PREFACE 



THE Improvement of the Mind by Doctor Watts is full of 
practical wisdom. Prof. L. F. Parker, of the Chair of 
History in the State University of Iowa, writes as fullo \vs : 
"Watts' little volume on the Improvement of the Mind cost 
him twenty years of capital thinking, and is still the most 
comprehensive, most suggestive, and best of its kind. It is 
not only uncqualed but incomparable ; so far below it, in my 
estimation, are all its competitors. Whoever induces a young 
person, on the verge of active life to read "Watts" carefully, 
has done much, very much, to ennoble him in all thought and 
living." 

It is in the hope of recovering to the youth of the present 
age, this excellent but almost forgotten book, that the work 
of recasting it has been attempted. In endeavoring to adapt 
it to the needs of the present, the following changes have been 
made : 

First — Nearly one-third of the book has been eliminated, as 
being too theological or too closely related to the age and coun- 
try of the author. 

Seeonel — A brief but comprehensive analysis has been pre- 
pared, which appears as a table of contents. 

Third — Prominence is given to some of the more essential 
doctrines by stating them in large type, while explanatory and 
illustrative matter is given in smaller type. 

But few changes have been made in the text other than those 
mentioned above, as it seemed desirable to preserve the unique 
and forcible style of the author. The original work was first 
published in 1727, and although it is over one hundred and 
fifty years old, yet its teachings are in substantial harmony 
with the truest pedagogical doctrines of to-day. It is believed 
that in its present form and dress it is adapted to private read- 
ing, and reading circles, and also as a text-book in Secondary 
and Normal Schools. S. N. F. 



A Sketch of the Life of the Author. 



Isaac Watts, D.D., an English dissenting clergyman and 
poet, was born in Southampton, July 17, 1(>74, and died in 
London, November 25, 174S. Ho was educated by his father, 
who kept a boarding school in Southampton and then an 
academy in London. When a boy he Mas very studious, 
spending for books the little money received as presents, and 
devoting his leisure hours to study and reading, instead of 
joining other boys in play. At school he allowed himself no 
time for exercise and play, and very little for sleep. He used 
to mark all the books he read; abridge some, and annotate 
others of them. In 1G98 he was chosen assistant minister to 
the Rev. Isaac Chauneey, of an Independent Congregation in 
Mark Lane, London, of which he became pastor in 1702, and 
remained at his post until his death. 

Doctor Watts wrote largely for almost all classes of readers, 
students of all ages, in Science, Literature, Poetry and Divin- 
ity. His complete works have been published in various 
editions of from six to nine volumes. His Logic ami his 
Improvement of the Mind are the best known of his prose 
writings. Of his literary merits Doctor Johnson said : "He 
has provided instruction for all ages, from those who are lisp- 
ing their first lessons to the enlightened readers of Locke ; he 
has left neither corporal nor spiritual nature unexamined. He 
has taught the science of reasoning and the science of the 
stars. His character, therefore, must be judged from the 
multiplicity and diversity of his attainments, rather than 
from any single performance. 

Of his Hymns, James Montgomery said : "Every Sabbath, 
in every region "where his native tongue is spoken, thousands 
and tens of thousands of voices are sending the sacrifices of 
prayer and praise to God in the strains which he prepared a 
century ago. Probably no poetry in the language has been 
more widely read or warmly prized. 

Doctor Watts was small in stature, being little mone than 
five feet high, and waa never married. Monuments have been 
erected to his memory in Abney Park and Westminster Abbey. 



Table of Contents. 



Preface ....... 

Sketch of ttif Life of the author 
Introduction ....... 

CHAPTER I. 
General Rules for the Improvement of Knowledg 

I. Importance of a good judgment 
II. Mistakes of human nature in general 
III. A slight view of momentous things 

1. Survey of the vast regions of learning . 

2. Numberless variety of questions 

3. Thoughts on puzzling inquiries . 

4. Read accounts of vast treasures of knowledge 
IV. Presume not too much on a bright genius . 

V. Ready wit does not constitute a learned man 
VI. A life of learning not one of ease 
VII. Daily industry animated by hope of discoveries 
VIII. Penetrate into the depth of matters 
IX. Daily account of new ideas gained 
X. Avoid a dogmatical spirit. 

1. It forbids further improvement of knowledge 

2. It leads to arrogance of mind . 
XI. Be willing to retract mistakes . 

XII. Danger of indulging fancy and humor 

XIII. Beware of a spirit of jest and ridicule 

XIV. Virtue leads to truth ... 
XV. Vain conceit of personal powers 

XVI. Ask Divine guidance. .... 

CHAPTER II. 

Five Eminent Methods of Gaining Knowledc 

1. Observation ..... 

2. Reading ..... 

3. Lectures ....'. 

4. Conversation ..... 

5. Meditation. ..... 

I. Observation— Its advantages : 

1. It lays the foundation of all knowledge 

2. It gives clear conceptions of things 

3. It makes learning continuous . 



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(5 CONTENTS. 

II. Reading — Its advantages: 

1. We become acquainted with tho living and the 

dead ....... 35 

2. Wo acquire the learning of the wisest and best 

men ....... 35 

3. We gain their best thoughts carefully elaborated 36 

4. We may review what wo have read ' . . 30 
[II. Lectures— Their advantages : 

1. Instruction isTmore impressive . . .37 

2. Instruction can teach what is most necessary 37 

3. Sensible means of instruction may be used 

4. The pupil may ask questions . . . 38 
IV. Conversation — Its advantages: 

1. Opportunity for explaining obscurities . . 38 

2. Doubts may be proposed and solved . . 39 

3. Advantages of comparison of ideas . . . 39 

4. Hidden treasures of knowledge revealed . ^0 

5. Conversation stimulates thought . . .40 

6. We test the truth and value of our own knowledge 40 

7. It furnishes knowledge of men and affairs of life 41 
V. Meditation— Its advantages: 

1. It alone forms personal judgment . . .42 

2. It makes knowledge personal ... 42 

3. It secures deeper penetration into the the themes 

of knowledge . . . . . .43 

CHAPTER III. 

Rules Relating to Observation. 

I. Its aim should be the enlargement of knowledge . 45 

IT. Encourage a laudable curiosity in the young . 45 

II r. Note what is uncommon, and review . . .46 

IV. Keep mind free from passions and prejudices . 47 

V. Avoid an impertinent curiosity .... 48 

VI. Observe for personal good .... 48 

VII. Do not publish observed faults in others. . . 48 

VIII. Do not erect general theories from limited observation 40 

CHAPTER IV. 



Of Books and Reading. 

I. Wise selection of books 
T I. Hooks should be first read in a general way . 

III. Form a reading circle to rc;u\ the same book 

IV. Form circle to read distinct treatises on one subject 
V. Consider whether the sentiments are right or not 

VI. Note faults or defects in the book 
VII. Make an analysis of the book 
VIII. If needed, prepare an index . 
IX. Improvement of reasoning powers 
X. Thoughtful reading secures correct judgment . 



49 
50 
51 
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52 
53 
53 
54 
55 



CONTENTS. 7 

XI. Read with the mind open to truth . . . 56 

XII. Caul ion. . . . . . . .56 

XIII. How to road hooks on morality . . . 57 

X I Y. Some books should be read but once . . . 58 

XV. Others should be reviewed .... 59 

XVI. Frequently consult dictionaries . . . .00 

XVII. Study subjects rather than authors ... 01 

CHAPTER V. 

Judgment of Books. 
I. Examination of title-page and preface . . .01 

II. Careful reading of a few chapters determines value of 

a book. ....... 02 

III. Agreement with our own principles no test of value . 63 

IV. Overestimation of a book, because it contains new 

truths ........ 63 

V. Undervaluation of a book, because it contains nothing 

new ........ 4q 

VI. Beware of judgment based on pretended knowledge 05 

VII. Do not merely echo the judgment of others . . 05 

VIII. Do not condemn a book, because of a few mistakes 00 

IX. Seek beauties rather than blemishes . . .08 

X. Justly estimate the parts of a book ... 09 

XI. Be cautious in receiving the judgment of others . 70 

CHAPTER VI. 

Of Living Instructors and Lectures, of Teachers and 
Learners. 
I. Teachers absolutely necessary for most persons . 70 

• II. Different instructors necessary . . . 71 

III. Teachers should have skill in the art of teaching . 71 

IV. Teachers should have diligence, patience, and adapt- 

ability 72 

V. The learner should attend with constancy and care 73 

VI. The learner should seek opportunity to ask questions 73 
VII. The learner should maintain honorable opinion of his 

tutor 73 

VIII. Arrogance of youth ..... 74 

IX. The pupil should maintain freedom of thought . 74 
X. The learner should accept no opinion without suffi- 
cient evidence . . . . . .71 

CHAPTER VII. 

Of Inquiring into the Sense and Meaning of any 
Writer or Speaker, and Especially the 
Sense of the Sacred Writings. 
I. Learn the language wherein the author's mind is 

expressed ... ... 75 

II. Examine words and phrases employed by contem- 
poraneous authors ..... 70 

II. Compare words and phrases in different places . 75 



CONTENTS. 

IV. Consider the subject as treated indifferent places 

by the same author .... 76 

V. Observe scope and design of writer . . 7<> 

VI. Ex-plain mystical terms by those thai arc plain 70 

VII. Consider persons addressed . . . .77 

VIII. Sense of an author known by the inferences drawn 

from his own propositions ... 77 

IX. Objections may reveal the sense . . .77 

X. Let not latent prejudices warp the sense . 7s 

XI. Lay aside a carping spirit, and road with candor 78 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Rules of Improvement by Conversation. 
I. Seek acquaintance of those wiser than ourselves 7!> 
II. When in company, waste no time in trifles 
III. Lead others into a discourse of matters of their vo 
cation ..... 



IV. Converse with men of various countries and parties so 



V. In mixed company, cultivate all 
VI. lie not provoked at differing opinions . 
VII. Seek to learn from inferiors . 
VIII. Seek variety of views on subjects 
IX. Reading a basis of conversation 

X. Give diligent attention when one is speaking 
XL Plain language may show great sense 
XII. Cultivate a modest manner of inquiry . 
XIII. Agree with others as far as you can 

X I V. Be not afraid to confess your ignorance 
XV. Be not too forward in the presence of elders 

XVI. A time when "A fool may be answered according 

to his folly" ..... 
XVII. Be not fond of displaying your logical powers 
XVIII. A void warm party spirit 

XI X. Instruct others by apt questioning 
XX. Do not affect to shine above others . 

X XL You may modestly simplify another's language 
XXII. Patiently bear contradiction . 



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XXIII. Avoid every thing that tends to provoke passion 

XXIV. Cultivate self-control .... 
X X V. ( 'ullivate a candid and obliging manner 

XXVI. Choose wise and good companions . . 90 

XXVII. Persons unlit for associates in the inquiry for truth id 

XXVIII. Beware of being such an associate for others . 92 

XXIX. Review in solitude facts learned . . .92 

XXX. Notice defects in others for personal improvement 93 

XXXI. How to make the highest improvement and bo 

universally desired as an associate . . 94 

CHAPTER IX. 
of Disputes and Debates. 
L When a dispute occurs .... M 

1 1. Objects of disputes ..... 94 



CONTENTS. 



95 
95 
95 
96 
97 
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98 



III. They arc often without forms of order 

IV. A few general rules should be observed 
V. Points of agreement 

VI. Clear the question of doubtful terms 
VII. Fix the precise points of inquiry 
VIII. Seek truth rather than victory 
IX. Yield to reason 

X. Beware of making fatal concessions 
XI. Utilize such concessions of an opponent 
XII. Use "argumentum ad hominem" 

XIII. Repress all passion . . . • • jJJ 

XIV. These general directions necessary in all debates 100 

CHAPTER X. 

Of Study, or Meditation. 
I. The necessity of study . . . : ■ Jjjl 

II. Learn to distinguish between words and things 
III. Be not too hasty to know things above your pres 



101 



105 



ent powers . . • i • ir • ■ rio 

IV. Be not frightened at apparent difficulties . . iu^ 

V. Proceed slowly from the known to the unknown 103 

VI*. Study not too many things at once . . • 103 

VII. Keep the end always in view . . . 104 

VIII. Exercise care in proportion to the importance ot 

the subject . . . m • • • }°J 

IX. Give not a favorite study undue importance . 10b 

X. Despise not other learning than your own . 107 

XI. Give clue time to each study . j°7 

XII. Overtaxing the mind .... lj» 

XIII. Impatience for solution of difficulties. . . io» 

XIV. Certainty in every study impossible . . J0b 
XV. Utility the end of speculative study . . . ioj 

CHAPTER XI. 

Of Fixing the Attention. 

I. Necessity of attention . . , • * }}2 

II. Rules for gaming greater facility of attention . iiu 

1. Liking the study of knowledge pursued . 110 

2. Use sensible things for illustration . . Ill 

3. Read authors of connected reasonings . . HI 

4. Fine prospects not to influence a place for 

s tud y • • • * x * 4. }}o 

5. Be not hasty in determining important points li^s 

6. Do not indulge the more sensual passions and 

appetites . . • • • i 

7. Fix and engage the mind in the pursuit ot 

study . • • • • .113 

CHAPTER XII. 
On Enlarging the Capacity of the Mind. 

I. Ability to receive sublime ideas without pain . 114 
II. Ability to receive new and strange ideas without _ 
surprise ...••• 



114 



10 CONTENTS. 

III. Ability to receive many ideas at once without con- 

fusion . . . . . .IK! 

IV. How capacity of thought may be increased . . 120 

J. Labor to gain an attentive and patient temper 

of mind ...... 120 

2. Accustom yourself to form clear and distinct 

ideas . . . . . .121 

3. Use diligence to acquire a large store of ideas 121 

4. Lay up daily new ideas in regular order . 122 

5. Observe a regular progressive method . 12:: " 
(i. Peruse and solve intricate questions . . 121 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Of Improving the Memory. 
I. Our memory is our power of retaining and recall- 
ing what we learn . . . . .121 
II. All other abilities of the mind borrow their beauty 

and perfection from memory . . . 125 

III. Memory is useful to the speaker as well as the 

Learner . . . . . . 125 

IV. Good judgment and good memory are very differ- 

ent qualifications . . ' . . . 126 

V. A happy memory is a good foundation for wise 

and just judgment ..... 126 

VI. How some' persons have good judgment without 

a happy memory . . . . .127 

VII. A line genius often has a feeble memory . 128 

VIII. Crowding the memory may prevent and cramp 

invention ...... 12S 

IX. Lay up nothing in the memory but what has just 

value . . . . . . .12!) 

X. One's own improvements together with those bor- 
rowed make a wealthy and a happy mind . 12it 
XI. How many excellent judgments are lost for want 

of a stronger and more retentive memory . 129 

XII. The great advantages of remembering the noble 

sentiments of others as well as one's own . . 130 

XIII. The mind itself is immaterial; the brain is its in- 

strument ...... 130 

XIV. The memory grows from the period of infancy . 131 
XV. Memory requires the cultivation of habits of at- 
tention ....... 131 

XVI. The memory is affected by various bodily diseases L31 
XVII. Excess of wine as well as excess of study may 

injure the memory . . . . . 132 

XVIII. A good memory has several qualifications . . 132 

i. It is ready to receive and admit . . 132 

2. It is large and copious .... 132 

3. It is strong and durable . . . 133 

4. It is faithful and active .... 133 
XTX. Every one of these qualifications mav be improved 133 

XX. One great and general direction is to give the 

memory proper and sufficient exercise . . 133 



130 

13G 



CONTENTS. 11 

XXI. Our memories are improved or injured according 

to their exercise ..... 133 
XXII. The memory of a child should not be overbur- 
dened 134 

XXIII. Particular rules: 

1. Due attention and diligence to learn and know 

things. We should engage our delight in 
order to fix the attention . . . 134 

2. Clear and distinct apprehension of the things 

which we commit to memory is necessary. 
For this reason, take heed that you do not 
take up with words instead of things . 135 

3. Method and regularity in the things we com 

mit to memory .... 
Let it be disposed in a proper method 

4. A frequent review of things has a great in- 

fluence to fix them in the memory. . 136 

The art of short-hand is of excellent use . 137 

Teach in order to establish your own 

knowledge ...... 138 

5. Pleasure and delight in the things we learn, 

give great assistance towards the remem- 
brance of them. . . . • 138 

6. The memory of useful things may receive 

considerable aid if they are thrown into 
verse ...... 139 

7. We may better imprint any new idea upon the 

memory by joining with it some circum- 
stance of the time, place, company, etc. . 140 

8. Seek after a local memory . . .141 

9. Every thing should be distinctly written and 

divided into periods .... 142 

The memory gains by having the several ob- 
jects of our learning drawn out into schemes 
"and tables ...... 143 

Once writing will fix a thing more in mind 
than reading five times .... 143 

10. Sometimes, we can remember sentences by 
taking first letters of every word and mak- 
ing a new word of them . . . 144 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Of Determining a Question. 

I. Consider whether it be knowable at all 
II. Consider again whether the matter be worthy of 
your inquiry . ..... 

III. Consider whether the subject of your inquiry bo 

easy or difficult ...... 

IV. Consider whether the subject be any ways useful 

or not . . . . . 

V. Consider what tendency it has to make you wiser 
and better ...... 



145 
145 
145 
146 
146 



12 CONTENTS. 

VI. Consider whether it be dressed up and entangled 

in more words than is needful . . . 146 

VII. Be careful to keep the point of inquiry the same 140 

To state a question, oftentimes fully resolves the 

doubt ' .147 

VIII. If the question relate to an axiom, it should not be 

suddenly admitted or received . . . 1 47 

IX. Call only such a proposition as requires no proof 

whatever, an axiom .... 147 

X. Keep up a just indifference to either side of the 

question ...... 148 

XI. For the most part, people are born to their 

opinions ...... 148 

XII. Do not take up with partial examination. Take 
these instances to show what a partial examina- 
tion is : 

1. When you examine an object at too great a 

distance . . . . . .140 

2. When you turn the question only in one light 149 

3. When you ask the report of those only who 

were not eye or ear witnesses, and neglect 
those who saw and heard . . . 149 

4. To try to determine by natural reason only . 150 

5. To examine without the use of reason . . 150 

XIII. Take heed lest some darling notion be made a test 

of truth or falsehood . . . . .150 

XIV. Tie watchful as far as possible against any false bias 151 
XV. Be careful lest your zeal have too powerful an in- 
fluence, and stop up all avenues of further light. 
Zeal must not reign over the powers of our un- 
derstanding . . . . . .151 

XVI. Do not oppose banter and ridicule to any doctrines 
of professed revelation. Such a test is silly and 
unreasonable. The best sense may be set in a 
most unreasonable light by this grinning faculty 152 
XVII. These very men who employ jest and ridicule, cry 
out loudly against all penalties and persecutions 
of the state. Penal and smarting methods are 
every whit as wise as banter and ridicule . . lf>4 

XVIII. It is a piece of contempt and profane insolence to 
treat any tolerable or rational appearance of 
such a revelation with jest and laughter. Let such 
sort of writers lay aside all their pretenses to 
reason as well as religion .... 154 

XIX. Ou reading philosophical, moral, or religious con- 
troversies, let the force of argument alone influ- 
ence your assent or dissent. The bigots of all 
parties are generally the most positive . 155 

XX. So large a question may be proposed as ought not 
in justice to be determined at once. In the main, 
it is enough to incline to that side which has the 
fewest difficulties ..... ir>»; 



CONTENTS. 13 

XXI. Take a full survey of the objections against any 

question, as well as the arguments for it . 157 

XXII. In matters of moment, seek after certain and 

conclusive arguments .... 153 

XXIII. Degrees of assent should always bo regarded ac- 

cording to the different degrees of evidence . 158 

XXIV. Why then does our Saviour so much commend a 

strong faith ? The God of nature has given every 
man his own reason to he the judge and to direct 
his assent ...... 159 

God will not require us to assent to any thing 
without reasonable or sufficient evidence . . 159 

XXV. Concerning truth and duties the reason is the same 160 
XXVI. Three rules in judging of probabilities : 

1. That which agrees most with the constitution 

of nature, carries the greatest probability in it 1G1 

2. That which is most conformable to the con- 

stant observations of men, is most likely to 

be true ...... 101 

3. We may derive a probability from the attesta- 

tion of wise and honest men . . 101 

XXVII. We ought to stand firm in such well established 

principles ...... 102 

XXVIII. We are but fallible: therefore there is no need of 

our resolving never to change our mind . 102 



CHAPTER XV. 

Of Inquiring into Causes and Effects. 

I. When inquiring into the cause of any particular 

effect consider . . . . . . 103 

1. What effects you have shown of a kindred 

nature ...... 103 

2. What are the several possible causes . 164 

3. What things preceded the event . . . 104 

4. Whether one cause or a concurrence of several 

causes, be sufficient. This is the course to 
be followed both in natural philosophy and 
in the moral world. .... 164 

II. When inquiring into the effects of any particular 

cause or causes . . . . . 165 

1. Consider the nature of every cause apart . 165 

2. Consider the causes united together . . 165 

3. Consider what the subject is . . . 165 

4. Be frequent in setting such causes at work 

whose effects you desire to know . 165 

5. Observe carefully when you see any happy 

effect. Treasure it up .... 165 

6. Take a just survey of all the circumstances. 

In this manner physicians practice ; so also 
the preacher . . . . .166 



11 CONTEXTS. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Methods of Teaching and Reading Lectures. 
I. lie; that has learned any thing thoroughly, is gen- 
erally best prepared to teach . . . 117 
II. He must also be acquainted with word's . . 168 

III. A tutor should have much candor and use every 

mild and engaging method .... 1G8 

IV. The advantages of the Socratical method of dispu- 

tation . . . . . . . 168 

1. The form of a dialogue . . . 168 

2. Something very obliging in it . . 109 

3. Draw a pupil on to discover his own mistakes 10!) 

4. The most easy reasoning . . . .109 
V. The most useful is by reading lectures . . 109 

VI. The tutor should explain what is dark and difficult 170 
VII. Teachers should endeavor to join profit and 
pleasure together. They should be very solic- 
itous that learners take up their meaning . 171 
VIII. lie who instructs others, should use the most 
proper style. He should run over the foregoing 
lecture in questions proposed to the learners . 171 
IX. Let the teacher always accommodate himself to tin; 

genius, temper, and capacity of his disciples . 17'J 
X. ('uriosity is a useful spring of knowledge . 173 

XI. When a lad is pert, let the tutor take every just 

occasion to show him his error . . '. 173 

XII. The tutor should watch the learner's growth of 
understanding. Let him guard and encourage 
the tender buddings ..... 174 
XIII. Call the reason into exercise . . . 174 

XIV Let the tutor make it appear that ho loves his 
pupils, and seeks nothing so much as their in- 
crease of knowledge . . . . .174 
XV. Those that hear him have some good degree of es- 
teem and respect for his person and character. 175 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Of an Instructive Style. 

I. The most necessary and most useful character of 
a stylo fit for instruction, is that it be plain, 

perspicuous, and easy ..... 175 

II. The errors of stylo ..... 170 

1. The use of many foreign words . . .170 

2. Avoid a fantastic style .... 170 

3. Affected words that are used only at court . 170 

4. A mean, vulgar style . . . 170 

5. An obscure and mysterious manner of expres 177 

sion ...... 177 

6. A long and tedious style .... 177 
III. Some methods whereby a style proper for instruc- 
tion may be obtained .... 178 
1. Accustom yourself to road those authors who 

think and write with great clearness . . 178 



CONTENTS. ir> 

2. Got a distinct and comprehensive knowledge 

of the subject . . . . .178 

8. Bo well skilled in the language . . 17.s 

4. Acquire a "variety of words . . . 170 

5. Learn the art of shortening your sentences I7it 

6. Talk frequently to young and. ignorant persons ISO 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Convincing Other Persons of any Truth, or Deliver- 
ing Them from Errors and Mistakes. 

I. We are naturally desirous of bringing all the 

world into our sentiments . . . 180 

II. The following directions may be useful . . 180 

1. Choose a proper place, a happy hour, and 
the fittest concurrent circumstance . . 181 

2. Make it appear that you mean him well . . 1S1 

3. The softest and gentlest address is the best 

way to convince. It is a very great and fatal 
mistake to make the difference appear as 
wide as possible. Human nature must be 
flattered a little ..... 181 

4. Watch over yourself, lest you grow warm in 

dispute. You must treat an opponent like a 
friend. Truth oftentimes perishes in the 
fray . . . . . . .182 

5. Neither attempt any penal methods or severe 

usage ...... 183 

6. Always make choice of those arguments that 

are best suited to his understanding and 
capacity ..... 184 

7. Lead the mind onward to perceive the truth 

in a clear and agreeable light . . 184 

8. Allow a reasonable time to enter into the force 

of your arguments. Address him therefore 

in an obliging manner . . . .131 

9. Make the person you would teach his own 

instructor ...... 185 

10. Be not very solicitous about the nicety with 

which it shall be expressed . . .186 

11. You may sometimes have happy success by 

setting him to read a weak author who 
writes against it ... . 186 

12. To convince a whole family or community, 

first make as sure as we can of the most in- 
telligent and learned .... 137 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Of Authority. Of the Abuse of it: and of its Real and 
Proper Use and Service. 

I. The influence which other persons have upon our 

opinions, is usually called authority . . 188 



16 CONTENTS. 

II. Three eminent and remarkable cases v. herein 
authority will determine the judgment and prac- 
tice of mankind. ..... 18!) 

1. Parents are appointed to judge for their 

children. This is a dictate of nature . 1v " 

The great Judge will not punish be} 

demerit .... 
It is hard to say at what exact time ol 

child is exempted from the soverci 

parental dictates 

2. Another case is in matters of fact. The au 

thority or testimony of men ought to sway 
our assent, when multitudes concur in the 
same testimony. Yet, that theft) have b 
so many falsehoods, should make us wit 
cautious . . ... 

3. Believe what persons under inspiration 

dictated to us. It is enough if our 
of reason can discover the divine Au 
111. Some other cases wherein we ought to pay ~ 
deference to the authority anil sentiment of < 

1. We ought to pay very great deferens 

sentiments of our parents 

2. Persons of years and long experience in 

human affairs . . . . .1 

3. Persons of long standing in virtue and piety T.»r 

4. Men in their several professions and arts 195 

5. The narratives of persons wise and sober 

CHAPTER XX. 0Y 

Of Treating and Managing the Prejudices of Men. 

I. Mankind stands wrapped round in errors, and en- 

trenched in prejudices .... 195 

II. Several methods to be practiced . . 1% 

1. By avoiding the power and ii ace of the 

prejudice without any direct attack upon it 190 
Begin at a distance, then silently observe 
what impression this makes upon him . 197 

2. We may expressly allow and indulge those 

prejudices for a season. When the preju- 
dices of mankind can not be conquered at 
once, yield to them for the present . 197 

3. Make use of the very prejudices under which 

a person labors, in order to convince him 109 
Men are but children of a larger size . 200 



THE 

MOVEMENT OF THE MIND. 



PART I. 



"TIONS FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF USEFUL 
KNOWLEDGE. 



INTRODUCTION. 

.•..No man is obliged to learn and know every thing; 
this can neither be sought nor required, for it is utterly 
im -o c ible ; yet all persons are under some obligation to 
o their own understanding ; otherwise it will be 
a oarren desert, or a forest overgrown with weeds and 
brambles. Universal ignorance or infinite errors will 
overspread the mind which is utterly neglected and lies 
without any «t ivation. 

Skill in the sciences is indeed the business and profes- 
sion of but a small part of mankind 5 but there are many 
others placed in such an exalted rank in the world, as 
allows them much leisure and large opportunities to 
cultivate their reason, and to beautify and enrich their 
minds with various knowledge, Even the lower orders 
of men have particular callings in life, wherein they 
ought to acquire a just degree of skill ; and this is not to 
be done well, without thinking and reasoning about them. 

The common duties and benefits of society, which 
belong to every man living, as we are social creatures, 
and even our native and necessary relations to a family, 



IS INTRODUCTION. 

a neighborhood, or government, oblige all persons, 
whatsoever, to use their reasoning powers upon a 
thousand occasions; every hour of life calls for some 
regular exercise of our judgment, as to time and things, 
persons and actions : without a prudent and discreet 
determination in matters before us, we shall be plunged 
into perpetual errors in our conduct. Now that which 
should always be practiced must at some time be learned. 

Besides, every son and daughter of Adam has a most 
important concern in the affairs of the life to come, and 
therefore it is a matter of the highest moment, for 
every one to understand, to judge, and to reason right 
about the things of religion. It is vain for any to say, 
we have no leisure time for it. The daily intervals of 
time, and vacancies from necessary labor, together with 
the one day in seven in the Christian world, allow suffi- 
cient time for this, if men would but apply themselves 
to it with half so much zeal and diligence as they do to 
the trifles and amusements of this life, and it would turn 
to infinitely better account. 

Thus it appears to be the necessary duty and the 
interest of every person living, to improve his 
understanding, to inform his judgment, to treasure 
up useful knowledge, and to acquire the skill of good 
reasoning, as far as his station, capacity, and circum- 
stances furnish him with proper means for it. Our mis- 
takes in judgment may plunge us into much folly and 
guilt in practice. By acting without thought or rea- 
son, we dishonor the God that made us reasonable 
creatures, we often become injurious to our neigh- 
bors, kindred, or friends, and we bring sin and misery 
upon ourselves ; for we are accountable to God, our 
Judge, for every part of our irregular and mistaken 
conduct, where He hath given us sufficient advantages 
to guard against iho.^e mistakes. 



CHAPTER I. 

GENEIML ItULES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF 
KNOWLEDGE. 

Rule I. — Deeply possess your mind with the vast 
importance of a good judgment, and the rich and ines- 
timable advantage of right reasoning. Review the in- 
stances of your own misconduct in life ; think seriously 
with yourselves how many follies and sorrows you had 
escaped, and how much guilt and misery you had pre- 
vented, if from your early years you had but taken due 
pains to judge aright concerning persons, times, and 
things. This will awaken you with lively vigor to 
address yourselves to the work of improving your rea- 
soning powers, and seizing every opportunity and ad- 
vantage for that end. 

II. Consider the weaknesses, frailties, and mis- 
takes of human nature in general, which arise from 
the very constitution of a soul united to an animal body 
and subjected to many inconveniences thereby. Con- 
sider the depth and difficulty of many truths, and the 
flattering appearances of falsehood, whence arises an 
infinite variety of dangers to which we are exposed in 
our judgment of things. Read with greediness those 
authors that treat of the doctrine of prejudices, prepos- 
sessions, and springs of error, on purpose to make your 
soul watchful on all sides, that it suffer itself, as far as 
possible, to be imposed upon by none of them. 

III. A slight view of things so momentous is not 
sufficient. You should therefore contrive and practice 
some p roper methods to acquaint yourself with your own 
ignorance, and to ingress your mind with a deep and 

19 



20 GENERAL RULES 

painful sense of the low and imperfect degrees of your 
present knowledge, thai you may be incited with labor 
and activity to pursue after greater measures. Among 
others, you may find some such methods as these suc- 
cessful. 

1. Take a wide survey now and then of the vast and 
unlimited region of learning. Let your meditations 
run over the names of all the sciences, with their 
numerous branchings, and innumerable particular themes 
of knowledge ; and then reflect how few of them you are 
acquainted with in any tolerable degree. The most 
learned of mortals will never find occasion to act over 
again what is fabled of Alexander the Great, that when 
he had conquered what was called the eastern world, he 
wept for want of more worlds to conquer. The worlds 
of science are immense and endless. 

2. Think what a numberless variety of questions and 
difficulties there are belonging even to that particular 
science in which you have made the greatest progress, 
and how few of them there are in which you have 
arrived at a final and undoubted certainty ; excepting 
only those questions in the pure and simple mathematics, 
whose theorems are demonstrable, and leave scarce any 
doubt ; and yet, even in the pursuit of some few of these, 
mankind have been strangely bewildered. 

3. {Spend a few thoughts sometimes on the puzzling inquiries 
concerning vacuums and atoms, the doctrine of infinites, 
indivisibles, and incommensurables in geometry, wherein 
there appear some insolvable difficulties : do this on pur- 
pose to give you a more sensible impression of the 
poverty of your understanding and the imperfection 
of your knowledge. This will teach you what a vain 
thing it is to fancy that you know all things, and 
will instruct you to think modestly of your present 
attainments, when every dust of the earth and every 



TO OBTATN KNOWLEDGE. 21 

inch of empty space surmounts your understanding 
and triumphs over your presumption. 

Arithmo had been bred up to accounts all his life and 
thought himself a complete master of numbers. But when he 
\\as pushed hard to give the square root of the number 2, he 
tried at it and labored long in millesimal fractions, till he 
confessed there was no end of the inquiry ; and yet he learned 
so much modesty by this perplexing question, that he was 
afraid to say it was an impossible thing. It is some good 
degree of improvement, when we are afraid to be positive. 

4. Bead the accounts of those vast treasures of knowledge 
which some of the dead have possessed, and some of the 
living do possess. Eead and be astonished at the 
almost incredible advances which have been made in 
science. Acquaint yourself with some persons of great 
learning, that by converse among them and comparing 
yourself with them, you may acquire a mean opinion of 
your own attainments and may thereby be animated 
with new zeal, to equal them as far as possible, or to 
exceed: thus let your diligence be quickened by a 
generous and laudable emulation. If Yanillus had 
never met with Scitorio and Palydes, he had never 
imagined himself a mere novice in philosophy, nor ever 
set himself to study in good earnest. 

Eemember this, that if upon some few superficial 
acquirements you value, exalt, and swell yourself, as 
though you were a man of learning already, you are 
thereby building a most impassable barrier against all 
improvement ; you will lie down and indulge in idleness, 
and rest yourself co^<^e^^ ^h^^dstofd^ip jiiid 
shameful ignorance. Muttiau scientiam pervenissent jp se 
illuc pervenisse non putassent. 

IV. Presume not too much upon a bright genius, a 
ready wit, and good parts ; for this, without labor and 
study, will never make a man of knowledge and wisdom. 
This has been an unhappy temptation to persons of a 



22 GENEB \T, RULES 

vigorous and gay fancy, to despise learning and study. 
They have been acknowledged to shine in an assembly, 
and sparkle in a discourse on common topics, and thence 
they took it into their hearts to abandon reading and 
labor, and grow old in ignorance; but when they had 
lost their vivacity of animal nature and youth, they 
became stupid and sottish even to contempt and ridicule. 

Lucidus and Scintillo are young men of this stamp ; they 

shine in conversation ; they spread their native riches before 
the ignorant; they pride themselves in their own lively 
images of fancy, and imagine themselves wise and learned'; 
hut they had best avoid the presence of the skillful and the 
test of reasoning; and I would advise them once a day to 
think forward a little, what a contemptible figure they will 
make in age 

The witty men sometimes have sense enough to know their 
own foible; and therefore they craftily shun the attacks of 
argument, or boldly pretend to despise and renounce them, 
because they are conscious of their own ignorance and 
inwardly confess their want of acquaintance with the skill of 
reasoning. 

V. As you are not to fancy yourself a learned man 
because you are blessed with a ready wit ; so neither 
must you imagine that large and laborious reading, and 
a strong memory, can denominate you truly wise. 

What that excellent critic has determined when he 
decided the question, whether wit or study makes the 
best poet, may well be applied to every sort of learning : 

Ego ncc studium sine divitc vena, 

Nee rude quid prosit, video, ingenium: alterius sic 
Altera poscit opem res, et conjurat amice. 

— llor. dc Art. Port. 
Thus made English : 

Concerning poets there has been contest, 

Whether they're made by art or nature best ; 

But if T may presume in this affair, 

Among the rest my judgment to declare, 

No art without a genius will avail, 

And parts without the help of art will fail : 

But both ingredients jointly must unite, 

Or verse will never shine with a transcendent light. 

— Oldham, 



TO (TBTATN KNOWLEDGE. 23 

It is meditation and studious thought, it is the exer- 
cise of your own reason and judgment upon all you read 
thai gives good sense even to the best genius and 
affords your understanding the truest improvement. A 
boy of a strong memory may repeat a whole book of 
Euclid, yet be no geometrician ; for he may not be able 
perhaps to demonstrate one single theorem. 

A well-furnished library and a capacious memory are 
indeed of singular use toward the improvement of the 
mind ; but if all your learning be nothing else but a mere 
amassment of what others have written, without a due 
penetration into the meaning, and without a judicious 
choice and determination of your own sentiments, I do 
not see what title your head has to true learning, above 
your shelves. Though you have read philosophy and 
theology, morals and metaphysics in abundance, and 
every other art and science, yet if your memory is the 
only faculty employed, with the neglect of your reason- 
ing powers, you can justly claim no higher character but 
that of a good historian of the sciences. 

VI. Be not so weak as to imagine that a life of 
learning is a life of laziness and ease ; dare not give 
up yourself to any of the learned professions, unless you 
are resolved to labor hard at study, and can make it your 
delight and the joy of your life, according to the motto 
of our late Lord Chancellor King : 

.... Labor ipse voluptas. 
(Labor, itself, is a pleasure.) 

It is no idle thing to be a scholar indeed. A man 
much addicted to luxury and pleasure, recreation and 
pastime, should never pretend to devote himself entirely 
to the sciences, unless his soul be so reformed and refined, 
that he can taste all these entertainments eminently in 
his closet, among his books and papers. 



24 GENERAL RULES 

Sobrino is a temperate man and a philosopher, and he feeds 
upon partridge and pheasant, venison and ragouts, and every 
delicacy, in a growing understanding, and a serene and healthy 
soul, though lie dines on a dish of sprouts or turnips. Lan- 
guinos loved his ease, and therefore chose to be brought up a 
scholar; he had much indolence in his temper; and as he 
never cared for study, he falls under universal contempt in his 
profession, because he has nothing but the gown and the name. 

VII. Let the hope of new discoveries, as well as 1 lie 
satisfaction and pleasure of known truths, animate your 
daily industry. Do not think learning in general is 
arrived at its perfection, or that the knowledge of any 
particular subject in any science can not be improved, 
merely because it has lain live hundred or a thousand 
years without improvement. The present age, by the 
blessing of God on the ingenuity and diligence of men, 
lias brought to light such truths in natural philosophy, 
and such discoveries in the heavens and the earth, as 
seemed to be beyond the reach of man. But may there 
not be Sir Isaac Newtons in every science? You should 
never despair therefore of finding out that which has 
never yet been found, unless you see something in the 
nature of it which renders it unsearchable and above the 
reach of our faculties. 

VIII. Do not hover always on the surface of things, 
nor take up suddenly with mere appearances; but pene- 
trate into the depth of matters, as far as your time and 
circumstances allow, especially in those things which re- 
late to your own profession. Do not indulge yourselves 
to judge of things by the first glimpse, or a short and 
superficial view of them ; for this will fill the mind with 
errors and prejudices, and give it a wrong turn and ill 
habit of thinking, and make much work for retract ion. 

As for those sciences, or those parts of knowledge, 
which either your profession, your leisure, your inclina- 
tion, or your incapacity, forbid you to pursue with much 
application, or to search far into them, you must be con- 



TO OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE. 25 

tented with an historical and superficial knowledge of 

them, and not pretend to form any judgment of your 
own on those subjects which you understand very im- 
perfectly. 

IX. Once a day, especially in the early years of life 
and study, call yourselves to an account what new 
ideas, what new proposition or truth you have gained, 
what further confirmation of known truths, and what ad- 
vances ytfu have made in any part of knowledge ; and 
let no day, if possible, pass away without some intellec- 
tual gain: such a course, well pursued, must certainly 
advance us in useful knowledge. It is a wise proverb 
among the learned, borrowed from the lips and practice 
of a celebrated painter, Nulla dies sine linea, " Let no day 
pass without one line at least;" and it was a sacred 
rule among the Pythagoreans, That they should every 
evening thrice run over the actions and affairs of the 
day, and examine what their conduct had been, what 
they had done, or what they had neglected ; and they 
assured their pupils, that by this method they would 
make a noble progress in the path of virtue. 

Nor let soft slumber close your eyes, 
Before you've recollected thrice 
The train of action through the day : 
Where have my feet chose out their way. 
What have I learn'd, where'er I've been, 
From all I've heard, from all I've seen ? 
What know I more that's worth the knowing ? 
What have I done that's worth the doing? 
What have I sought that I should shun ? 
What duty have I left undone ? 
Or into what new follies run ? 
These self-inquiries are the road 
That leads to virtue, and to God. 

I would be glad, among a nation of Christians, to 
find young men heartily engaged in the practice of what 
this heathen writer teaches. 



26 GENERAL RULES 

X. Maintain a constant watch at all times against a 
dogmatical spirit : fix not your assent to any proposil ion 
in a firm and {inalterable manner, till you have sonic 
firm and unalterable ground for it, and till you have a; 
rived at some clear and sure evidence ; till you have 
turned the proposition on all sides and searched the 
matter through and through, so that you can not be mis- 
taken. And even where yon may think you have full 
grounds of assurance, be not too early, nor too frequent, 
in expressing this assurance in too peremptory and posi- 
tive a manner, remembering that human nature is al- 
ways liable to mistake in this corrupt and feeble state. 
A dogmatical spirit has many inconveniences attending 
ii : as 

1. It stops the car against all further reasoning upon 
that subject, and shuts up the mind from all further im- 
provements of knowledge. If you have resolutely fixed 
your opinion, though it be upon too slight and insuffi- 
cient grounds, yet you will stand determined to renounce 
the strongest reason brought for the contrary opinion, 
and grow obstinate against the force of the clearest ar- 
gument. 

Positivo is a man of this character ; and has often pro- 
nounced his assurance of the Cartesian vortexes; last year 
some further light broke in upon his understanding, with 
uncontrollable force, by reading something of mathematical 
philosophy ; yet having asserted his former opinions in a most 
confident manner, lie is tempted now to wink a little against 
the truth, or to prevaricate in his discourse upon that subject, 
lest by admitting conviction, he should expose himself to the 
necessity of confessing his former folly and mistake: and he 
has not humility enough for that. 

2. A dogmatical spirit naturally leads us to arrogance 
of mind, and gives a man some airs in conversation 
which are too haughty and assuming. Audens is a man 
of learning, and very good company ; but his infallible 
assurance renders his carriage sometimes insupportable. 



TO OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE. 27 

A dogmatical spirit inclines a man to be censorious of 
his neighbors. Every one of his own opinions appears 
to him written as it were with sunbeams ; and lie grows 
angry that his neighbor does not see it in the same 
light. He is tempted to disdain his correspondents, as 
men of a low and dark understanding, because they will 
not believe what lie does. Furio goes farther in this 
wild track and charges those who refuse his notions 
with willful obstinacy and vile hypocrisy ; he tells them 
boldly, that they resist the truth and sin against their 
consciences. 

XI. Though caution and slow assent will guard yon 
against frequent mistakes and retractions; yet you should 
get humility and courage enough to retract any mistake, 
and confess an error: frequent changes are tokens of 
levity in our first determinations ; yet you should never 
be too proud to change your opinion, nor frightened at the 
name of changeling. Learn to scorn those vulgar bug- 
bears, which confirm foolish man in his old mistakes, for 
fear of being charged with inconstancy. I confess it is 
better not to judge, than to judge falsely ; it is wiser to 
withhold our assent till we see complete evidence ; but 
if we have too suddenly given up our assent, as the wisest 
man does sometimes, if we have professed what we find 
afterwards to be false, we should never 'be ashamed nor 
afraid to renounce a mistake. That is a noble essay 
which is found among the Occasional Papers, i i to encour- 
age the world to practice retractations"; and I would 
recommend it to the perusal of every scholar and every 
Christian. 

XII. He that would raise his judgment above the vul- 
gar rank of mankind, and learn to pass a just sentence 
on persons and things, must take heed of a fanciful 
temper of mind and a humorous conduct in his affairs. 
Fancy and humor, early and constantly indulged, may 
expect an old age overrun with follies. 



28 GENERAL RTJLB6 

The notion of a humorist is one that is greatly pleased, 
or greatly displeased, with little things ; who sets his heart 
much upon matters of very small importance ; Avho has 
his will determined every day by trifles, his actions sel- 
dom directed by the reason and nature of things, and his 
passions frequently raised by things of little moment. 
Where this practice is allowed, it will insensibly warp 
the judgment to pronounce little things great, and tempt 
you to lay a great weight upon them. In short, this 
temper will incline you to pass an unjust value on almost 
every thing that occurs ; and every step you take in this 
path is just so far out of the way to wisdom. 

XIII. For the same reason have a care of trifling with 
tilings important and momentous, or of sporting with 
things awful and sacred : do not indulge a spirit of 
ridicule, as some witty men do on all occasions and sub- 
jects. This will as unhappily bias the judgment on the 
other side, and incline you to pass a low esteem on the most 
valuable objects. Whatsoever evil habit we indulge in 
practice, it will insensibly obtain a power over our un- 
derstanding and betray us into many errors. 

Jocander is ready with his jests to answer every thing that 
he hears ; he reads books in the same jovial humor, and has 
gotten the art of turning every thought and sentence into 
merriment. How many awkward and irregular judgments 
does this man pass upon solemn subjects, even when he designs 
to be grave and in earnest! His mirth and laughing humor 
is formed into habit and temper, and leads his understanding 
shamefully astray. You will see him wandering in pursuit of 
a gay flying feather, and he is drawn by a sort of ignis fatuus 
into* bogs and mire almost every day of his life. 

XIV. Ever maintain a virtuous and pious frame of 
spirit ; for an indulgence of vicious inclinations de- 
bases the understanding and perverts the judgment. 
Whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away the heart 
and soul, and reason of a man. Sensuality ruins the better 
faculties of the mind ; an indulgence to appetite and pas- 



TO OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE 29 

sion enfeebles the powers of reason; it makes the judg- 
ment weak and susceptible of every falsehood, and espe- 
cially of such mistakes as have a tendency towards the 
gratification of the animal : and it warps the soul aside 
strangely from that steadfast honesty and integrity that 
necessarily belongs to the pursuit of truth. It is the vir- 
tuous man who is in a fair way to wisdom. " God gives 
to those that are good in His sight wisdom, and knowl- 
edge, and joy," Eccles. 2: 26. 

XV. Watch against the pride of your own reason and 
a vain conceit of your own intellectual powers, with the 
neglect of divine aid and blessing. Presume not upon 
great attainments in knowledge by your own self-suffi- 
ciency : those who trust to their own understanding en- 
tirely are pronounced fools in the word of God ; and it is 
the wisest of men gives them this character. " He that 
trusteth in his own heart is a fool," Pro v. 28: 26. 
And the same divine writer advises us to " trust in the 
Lord with all our heart, and not to lean to our under- 
standings, nor to be wise in our own eyes," chap. 3 : 5, 7. 

XVI. Offer up, therefore, your daily requests to 
God the Father of lights, that He would bless all your at- 
tempts and labors in reading, study, and conversation. 
Think with yourself how easily and how insensibly, by 
one turn of thought, He can lead you into a large scene of 
useful ideas: He can teach you to lay hold on a clue which 
may guide your thoughts with safety and ease through all 
the difficulties of an intricate subject. Think how easily 
the Author of your beings can direct your motions, by 
His providence, so that the glance of an eye, or a word 
striking the ear, or a sudden turn of the fancy, shall con- 
duct you to a train of happy sentiments. By His secret 
and supreme method of government, He can draw you 
to read such a treatise, or converse with such a person, 
who may give you more light into some deep subject in 



30 GENERAL RULES* 

an hour, than you could obtain by a month of your own 
solitary labor. 

Implore constantly His divine grace to point your 
inclination to proper studies, and to fix your heart there 
He can keep off temptations on the right hand, and on 
the left, both by the course of His providence, and by the 
secret and insensible intimations of His Spirit. He can 
guard your understandings from every evil influence of 
error, and secure you from the danger of evil books and 
men, which might otherwise have a fatal effect and lead 
you into pernicious mistakes. 

Even the poets call upon the muse as a goddess to 
assist them in their compositions. 

The first lines of Homer in his Iliad and his Odyssey, 
the first line of Mussbus in his song of Hero and Leander, 
the beginning of Hesiod in his poem of Works and Days, 
and several others furnish us with sufficient examples 
of this kind ; nor does Ovid leave out this piece of devo- 
tion, as he begins his stories of the Metamorphoses. 
Christianity so much the more obliges us, by the precepts 
of Scripture, to invoke the assistance of the true God in 
all our labors of the mind, for the improvement of our- 
\ selves and others. Bishop Saunderson says, that study 
i without prayer is atheism, as well as that prayer without 
study is presumption. And we are still more abun- 
dantly encouraged by the testimony of those who have 
acknowledged, from their own experience, that sincere 
prayer was no hinderance to their studies: they have 
gotten more knowledge sometimes upon their knees, 
than by their labor in perusing a variety of authors; 
and they have left this observation for such as follow, 
Bene orasse est bene studulsse, "praying is the best 
studying.' 7 

To conclude, let industry and devotion join together, 
and you need not doubt the happy success. Prov. 13 : U : 



THE FIVE METHODS. 31 

"Incline thine ear to wisdom; apply thine heart to 
understanding; cry alter knowledge, and lift up thy 
voice : seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden 
treasures; then shalt thou understand the Tear of the 
Lord," etc., which "is the beginning of wisdom." It is 
"the Lord who gives wisdom even to the simple, and 
out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." 



CHAPTER II. 



READING, INSTRUCTION BY LECTURES, 
CONVERSATION, AND STUDY, COMPARED. 

There are five eminent means or methods whereby 
the mind is improved in the knowledge of things ; and 
these are observation, reading, instruction by lectures, 
conversation, and meditation ; which last in a most 
peculiar manner, is called study. 

Let us survey the general definitions or descriptions 
of them all. 

1. Observation is the notice that we take of all oc- 
currences in human life, whether they are sensible or 
intellectual, whether relating to persons or things, to our- 
selves or others. It is this that furnishes us, even from 
our infancy, with a rich variety of ideas*and propositions, 
words and phrases : it is by this we know that fire will 
burn, that the sun gives light, that a horse eats grass, 
that an acorn produces an oak, that man is a being 
capable of reasoning and discourse, that our judgment is 
weak, that our mistakes are many, that our sorrows are 
great, that our bodies die and are carried to the grave, 
and that one generation succeeds another. All those 
things which we see, which we hear or feel, which we 
perceive by sense or consciousness, or which we know 



32 THE FIVE METHODS 

in a direct manner, with scarce any exercise of our reflect- 
ing faculties or our reasoning powers, may be included 
under the general name of observation. 

When this observation relates to any thing that imme- 
diately concerns ourselves, and of which we are conscious, 
it may be called experience. So I am said to know or 
experience that I have in myself a power of thinking, 
fearing, loving, etc., that I have appetites and passions 
working in me, and many personal occurrences have 
attended me in this life. 

Observation, therefore, includes all that Mr. Locke 
means by sensation and reflection. 

When we are searching out the nature or properties 
of any being by various methods of trial, or when we 
apply some active powers, or set some causes to work to 
observe what effects they would produce, this sort of ob- 
servation is called experiment. So when I throw a 
bullet into water, I find it sinks ; and when I throw the 
same bullet into quicksilver, I see it swims : but if I beat 
out this bullet into a thin hollow shape, like a dish, then 
it will swim in the water too. So when I strike two 
Hints together, I find they produce fire ; when I throw a 
seed in the earth, it grows up into a plant. 

All these belong to the first method of knowledge; 
which I shall call observation. 

2. Reading is that means or method of knowledge 
whereby we acquaint ourselves with what other men 
have written, or published to the world in their writings. 
These arts of reading and writing are of infinite advan- 
tage; for by them we are made partakers of the senti- 
ments, observations, reasonings, and improvements of 
all the learned world, in the most remote nations, and in 
former ages almost from the beginning of mankind. 

3. Public or private lectures are such verbal in- 
structions as are given by a teacher while the 



OF IMPROVEMENT COMPARED. 33 

learners attend in silence. This is the way of learning 
religion from the pulpit ; or of philosophy or theology 
from the professor's chair; or of mathematics, by a 
teacher showing us various theorems or problems, i. e., 
speculations or practices, by demonstration and opera- 
tion, with all the instruments of art necessary to those 
operations. 

4. Conversation is another method of improving our 
minds, wherein, by mutual discourse and inquiry, we 
learn the sentiments of others, as well as communicate 
our sentiments to others in the same manner. Some- 
times, indeed, though both parties speak by turns, yet 
the advantage is only on one side, as when a teacher and 
a learner meet and discourse together : but frequently 
the profit is mutual. Under the head of conversation 
we may also rank disputes of various kinds. 

5. Meditation or study includes all those exercises of 
the mind, whereby we render all the former methods 
useful for our increase in true knowledge and wisdom. 
It is by meditation we come to confirm our memory of 
things that pass through our thoughts in the occurrences 
of life, in our own experiences, and in the observations 
we make. It is by meditation that we draw various in- 
ferences, and establish in our minds general principles 
of knowledge. It is by meditation that we compare the 
various ideas which we derive from our senses, or from 
the operations of our souls, and join them in proposi- 
tions. It is by meditation that we fix in our memory 
whatsoever we learn, and form our judgment of the 
truth or falsehood, the strength or weakness, of what 
others speak or write. It is meditation or study that 
draws out long chains of argument, and searches and 
finds deep and difficult truths which before lay concealed 
in darkness. 

It would be a needless thing to prove, that our own 



34 THE FIVE METHODS 

solitary meditations, together with the few observations 
that the most part of mankind are capable of making, 
are not sufficient, of themselves, to lead ns into the 
attainment of any considerable proportion of knowledge, 
at least in an age so much improved as ours is, without 
the assistance of conversation and reading, and other 
proper instructions that are to be attained in our days. 
Yet each of these five methods have their peculiar 
advantages, whereby they assist each other; and their 
peculiar defects, which have need to be supplied by the 
other's assistance. Let us trace over some of the partic- 
ular advantages of each. 

I. One method of improving the mind is observation, 
and the advantages of it are these : 

1. It is owing to observation, that our mind is furnished 
with the first simple and complex ideas. It is this lays 
the ground-work and foundation of all knowledge, 
and makes us capable of using any of the other methods 
for improving the mind: for if we did not attain 
a variety of sensible and intellectual ideas by the sen- 
sations of outward objects, by the consciousness of our 
own appetites and passions, pleasures and pains, and by 
inward experience of the actings of our own spirits, it 
would be impossible either for men or books to teach us 
any thing. It is observation that must give us our 
first ideas of things, as it includes in it sense and con- 
sciousness. 

2. All our knowledge derived from observation, whether 
it be of single ideas or of propositions, is knowledge 
gotten at first hand. Hereby we see and know things 
as they are, or as they appear to us; we take the 
impressions of them on our minds from the original 
objects themselves, wiiich give a clearer and stronger 
conception of things: these ideas are more lively, and 
the propositions (at least in many eases) are much more 



OF IMPROVEMENT COMPARED. 35 

evident. Whereas, what knowledge we derive from lec- 
tures, reading, and conversation, is but the copy of other 
men's ideas, that is, the picture of a picture; and it is 
one remove farther from the original. 

3. Another advantage of observation is, that we may gain 
knowledge all the day long, and every moment of 
our lives ; and every moment of our existence we may 
be adding something to our intellectual treasures thereby, 
except only while we are asleep, and even then the re- 
membrance of our dreaming will teach us some truths, 
and lay a foundation for a better acquaintance with 
human nature, both in the powers and in the frailties 
of it. 

II. The next way of improving the mind is by read- 
ing, and the advantages of it are such as these : 

1. By reading we acquaint ourselves, in a very extensive 
manner, with the affairs, actions, and tlioughts, of the living 
and the dead, in the most remote nations and most dis- 
tant ages, and that with as much ease as though 
they lived in our own age and nation. By reading of 
books we may learn something from all parts of man- 
kind; whereas, by observation we learn all from our- 
selves, and only what comes within our own direct 
cognizance ; by conversation we can only enjoy the 
assistance of a very few persons, viz., those who are near 
us and live at the same time when we do, that is, our 
neighbors and contemporaries; but our knowledge is 
much more narrowed still, if we confine ourselves merely 
to our own solitary reasonings, without much observation 
or reading; for then all our improvement must arise only 
from our own inward powers and meditations. 

2. By reading we learn not only the actions and the senti- 
ments of different nations and ages, but we transfer to 
ourselves the knowledge and improvements of the most 
learned men, the wisest and the best of mankind, 



36 THE FIVE METHODS 

when or wheresoever they lived : for though many books 
have been written by weak and injudicious persons, yet 
the most of those books which have obtained great repu- 
tation in the world, are the products of great and 
men in their several ages and nations : whereas we can 
obtain the conversation and instruction of those only who 
are within the reach of our dwelling, or our acquaint- 
ance, whether they are wise or unwise : and sometimes 
that narrow sphere scarce affords any person of great 
eminence in wisdom or learning, unless our instructor 
happen to have this character. And as for our study 
and meditations, even when we arrive at some good 
degrees of learning, our advantage for further improve- 
ment in knowledge by them, is still far more contracted 
than what we may derive from reading. 

3. When we read good authors, ice learn the best, the most 
labored, and most refined sentiments, even of those 
wise and learned men ; for they have studied hard, and 
have committed to writing their maturest thoughts, and 
the result of their long study and experience : whereas, 
by conversation, and in some lectures, we obtain many 
times only the present thoughts of our tutors or friends, 
which (though they may be bright and useful), yet, at 
first perhaps, may be sudden and indigested, and are 
mere hints which have risen to no maturity. 

4. It is another advantage of reading, that we may 
review what we have read ; we may consult the page 
again and again, and meditate on it at successive seasons, 
in our serenest and retired hours, having the book always 
at hand : but what we obtain by conversation and in lec- 
tures, is oftentimes lost again as soon as the company 
breaks up, or at least when the day vanishes, unl< 
happen to have the talent of a good memory, or quickly 
retire and note down what remarkable thoughts or ideas 
we have found in those discourses. And lor the same 



OF IMPROVEMENT COMPARED. 



37 



reason, and for the want of retiring and writing, many 
a learned man has lost several useful meditations of his 

own, and could never recall them again. 

III. The advantage of verbal instructions by public 
or private lectures are these : 

1 There is something more sprightly, more dehgMJiU ana 
entertaining, in the living discourse of a wise, learned, 
and well qualified teacher, than there is m the silent 
and sedentary practice of reading. The very turn 
of voice, the good pronunciation, and the polite and 
alluring manner which some teachers have attained, will 
engage the attention, keep the soul fined, and convey 
and insinuate into the mind, the ideas of things .namorc 
lively and forcible way, than the mere reading of books 
in the silence and retirement of the closet. 

2 A tutor or instructor, when he paraphrases and 
explains other authors, can mark out the precise point of 
difficulty or controversy, and unfold it. He can show you 
which paragraphs are. of greatest importance, and 
which are of less moment. He can teach his hearers 
what authors, or what parts of an author are best worth 
reading on any particular subject, and thus save h» dis- 
ciples much time and pains, by shortening the labors of 
their closet and private studies. He can show you what 
were the doctrines of the ancients, in a compendium 
which perhaps would cost much labor and the perusal 
of many books to attain. He can inform you what new 
doctrines or sentiments are arising in the world before 
they come to be public ; as well as acquaint you with his 
own private thoughts, and his own experiments and 
observations, which never were, and perhaps sever will 
be published to the world, and yet may be very valuable 

and useful. ,, nM 

3 A living instructor can convey to our senses those 

notions with which he would furnish our minds, when 



38 TIIE FIVE METHODS 

ho toadies us natural philosophy, or most parts of mathe- 
matical learning. He can make the experiments before 
our eyes. He can describe figures and diagrams, point 
to the lines and angles, and make out the demonstration 
in a more intelligible manner by sensible means, which 
can not so well be done by mere reading, even though 
we should have the same figures lying in a book before 
our eyes. A living teacher, therefore, is a most neces- 
sary help in these studies. 

I might add also, that even where the subject of dis- 
course is moral, logical, or rhetorical, etc., and which does 
not directly come under the notice of our senses, a tutor 
may explain his ideas by such familiar examples, and 
plain or simple similitudes, as seldom find place in books 
and writings. 

4. When an instructor in his lectures delivers any mailer 
of difficulty^ or expresses himself in such a manner 
as seems obscure, so that you do not take up his ideas, 
clearly or fully, you have opportunity, at least when the 
lecture is finished, or at other proper seasons, to inquire 
how such a sentence should be understood, or how such 
a difficulty may be explained and removed. 

If there be permission given to free converse with the 
tutor, either in the midst of the lecture, or rather at the 
end of it, concerning any doubts or difficulties that occur 
to the hearer, this brings it very near to conversation or 
discourse. 

IV. Conversation is the next method of improve- 
ment, and it is at tended with the following advantages : 

1. When ire converse familiarly with a learned friend, we 
have his own help at hand to explain to us every word 
and sentiment that seems obscure in his discourse, and to 
inform us of his whole meaning ; so that we are in much 
less danger of mistaking his sense : whereas in books, 
whatsoever is really obscure may also abide always ob- 



OF IMPROVEMENT COMPARED. 39 

scurc without remedy, since the author is not at hand, 
thai wc may inquire his sense. 

H Ave mistake the meaning oi* our friend in conversa- 
tion, we are quickly set right again ; but in reading, we 
many times go on in the same mistake and are not 
capable of recovering ourselves from it. Thence it comes 
I o pass that we have so many contests in all ages about 
the meaning of ancient authors, and especially the sacred 
writers. Happy si lould we be could we but converse with 
Moses, Isaiah, and St. Paul, and consult the prophets 
and apostles, when we meet with a difficult text, : but 
that glorious conversation is reserved for the ages of 
ful uie blessedness. 

2. When we are discoursing upon any theme with a 
friend, ire may j)i'oj>ose our doubts and objections against 
his sentiments, and have them solved and answered at 
once. The difficulties that arise in our minds may be 
removed by one enlightening word of our correspondent : 
whereas in reading, if a difficulty or question arises in our 
thoughts, which the author has not happened to mention, 
we must be content without a present answer or solution 
of it. Books can not speak. 

3. Not only the doubts which arise in the mind upon 
any subject or discourse are easily proposed and solved 
in conversation, but the very difficulties we meet with 
in books, and in our j)rivate studies, may find a relief by 
friendly conferences. We may pore upon a knotty point 
in solitary meditation many months without a solution, 
because perhaj)S we have gotten into a wrong track of 
thought ; and our labor (while we are pursuing a false 
scent) is not only useless and unsuccessful, but it leads 
us perhaps into a long train of error for want of being 
corrected in the first step. But if we note down this 
difficulty when we read it, wc may propose it to an in- 
genious correspondent when wc see him ; we may be re- 



40 THE FIVE METHODS 

lieyed in ti moment, and find the difficulty vanish : he 
beholds the object perhaps in a different view, sots it 
before us in quite another light, leads us at once into 
evidence and truth, and that with a delightful surprise. 

4. Conversation calls out into light what has boon 
lodged in all the recesses and secret chambers of the 
soul : by occasional hints and incidents it brings old useful 
notions into remembrance ; it unfolds and displays the 
hidden treasures of knowledge with which reading ob- 
servation, and study, had before furnished the mind. 
By mutual discourse the soul is awakened and allured 
to bring forth its hoards of knowledge, and it learns how 
to render them most useful to mankind. A man of vast 
leading without conversation is like a miser, who lives 
only to himself. 

5. In free and friendly conversation, our intellectual 
powers are more animated, and our spirits act with a 
superior vigor in the quest and pursuit of unknown 
truths. There is a sharpness and sagacity of thought 
that attends conversation beyond what we find whilst 
we are shut up reading and musing in our retirements. 
Onr souls may be serene in solitude, but not sparkling, 
though perhaps we are employed in reading the works 
of the brightest writers. Often has it happened in free 
discourse, that new thoughts are strangely struck out, and 
the seeds of truth sparkle and blaze through the com- 
pany, which in calm and silent reading w^ould never have 
been excited. By conversation you will both give and 
receive this benefit; as flints, when put into motion, and 
striking against each other, produce living lire on both 
sides, which would never have arisen from the same hard 
materials in a state of rest. 

6. In generous conversation, amongst ingenious and 
learned men, we have a great advantage of proposing our 
private opinions, and of bringing our oicn sentiments to the 



OF IMPROVEMENT COMPARED. 41 

test, and learning in a more compendious and safer 
way what the world will judge of them, how mankind 
will receive them, what objections may be raised against 
them, what delects there are in our scheme, and how to 

correct our own mistakes; which advantages are not so 
easy to he obtained by our own private meditations : for 
the pleasure we take in our own notions, and the passion 
of self-Love, as well as the narrowness of our views, tempt 
us to pass too favorable an opinion on our own schemes ; 
whereas the variety of genius in onr several associates 
will give happy notices how our opinions will stand in 
the view of mankind. 

7. It is also another considerable advantage of con- 
versation, that it furnishes the student with the Icnoidl- 
edge of men and the affairs of life, as reading furnishes 
him with book learning. A man who dwells all his days 
among books may have amassed together a vast heap of 
notions ; but he may be a mere scholar, which is a con- 
temptible sort of character in the world. A hermit, who 
has been shut up in his cell in a college, has contracted 
a sort of mould and rust upon his soul, and all his airs 
of behavior have a certain awkwardness in them ; but 
these awkward airs are worn away by degrees in com- 
pany : the rust and the mould are filed and brushed off 
by polite conversation. The scholar now becomes a citi- 
zen or a gentleman, a neighbor, and a friend; he learns 
how to dress his sentiments in the fairest colors, as well 
as to set them in the strongest light. Thus he brings out 
his notions with honor ; he makes some use of them in 
the world and improves the theory by the practice. 

But before we proceed too far in finishing a bright char- 
acter by conversation, we should consider that something 
else is necessary besides an acquaintance with men and 
books: and therefore I add, 

V. Mere lectures, reading, and conversation, without 



42 THE FIVE METITODS 

thinking, are not sufficient to make a man of knowledge 
and wisdom. It is our own thought and reflection, 
study and meditation, that must attend all the other 
methods of improvement and perfect them. It carries 
these advantages with it: 

1. Though observation and instruction, reading and 
conversation, may furnish us with many ideas of men 
and things, yet it is our own meditation, and the labor 
of our own thoughts, that must form mr judgment of 
things. Our own thoughts should join or disjoin these 
ideas in a proposition for ourselves : it is our own mind 
that must judge for ourselves concerning the agreement 
or disagreement of ideas, and form propositions of truth 
out of them. Beading and conversation may acquaint 
us with many truths, and with many arguments to sup- 
port them ; but it is our own study and reasoning that 
must determine whether these propositions are true, and 
whether these arguments are just and solid. 

It is confessed there are a thousand things which our 
eyes have not seen, and which would never come within 
the reach of our personal and immediate knowledge and 
observation, because of the distance of times and places : 
these must be known by consulting other persons ; and 
that is done either in their writings or in their discourses. 
But after all, let this be a fixed point with us, that it is 
our own reflection and judgment must determine how 
far we should receive that which books or men inform 
us of, and how far they are worthy of our assent and 
credit. 

2. It is meditation and study that transfers and con- 
veys the notions and sentiments of otliers to ourselves, 
bo as to make them properly our own. It is our own 
judgment upon them, as well as our memory of them, 
that makes them become our own property. It does as 
it were concoct our intellectual food, and turns it into a 



OF IMPROVEMENT COMPARED. 43 

part of ourselves: just as a man may call his limbs and 
his flesh his own, whether he borrowed the materials 
from the ox or the sheep, from the lark or the lobster : 
whether he derived it from corn or milk, the fruits of the 
trees, or the herbs and roots of the earth ; it is all now 
become one substance with himself, and he wields and 
manages those muscles and limbs for his own proper pur- 
poses, which once were the substance of other animals or 
vegetables; that very substance which last week was 
grazing in the field or swimming in the sea, waving in 
the milk-pail, or growing in the garden, is now become 
part of the man. 

3. By study and meditation ive improve the hints that 
we have acquired by observation, conversation, and read- 
ing : we take more time in thinking, and by the labor of 
the mind we penetrate deeper into the themes of knowl- 
edge and carry our thoughts sometimes much farther on 
many subjects, than we ever met with, either in the 
books of the dead or discourses of the living. It is our 
own reasoning that draws out one truth from another, 
and forms a whole scheme or science from a few hints 
which we borrowed elsewhere. 

By a survey of these things we may justly conclude, 
that he who spends all his time in hearing lectures, or 
poring upon books, without observation, meditation, or 
converse, will have but a mere historical knowledge of 
learning, and be able only to tell what others have 
known or said on the subject : he that lets all his time 
flow away in conversation, without due observation, read- 
ing, or study, will gain but a slight and superficial knowl- 
edge, which will be in danger of vanishing with the voice 
of the speaker: and he that confines himself merely to 
Ms closet, and his own narrow observation of things, 
and is taught only by his own solitary thoughts, without 
instruction by lectures, reading, or free conversation, will 



44 RULES RELATING 

be in danger of a narrow spirit, a vain conceit of him- 
self, and an unreasonable contempt of others ; and after 
all, he will obtain but a very limited and imperfect a lew 
and knowledge of things, and he will seldom learn how 
to make that knowledge useful. 

These jive methods of improvement should be pursued, 
jointly, and go hand in hand, where our circiunstances 
are so happy as to find opportunity and conveniency to 
enjoy them all ; though I must give opinion that two of 
them, viz : reading and meditation, should employ much 
more of our time than public lectures, or conversation 
and discourse. As for observation, we may be always 
acquiring knowledge that way, whether we are alone or 
in company. 

But it will be for our further improvement, if we go 
over all these live methods of obtaining knowledge more 
distinctly and more at large, and see what special ad- 
vances in useful science we may draw from them all. 



CHAPTEE 111. 

RULES RELATING TO OBSERVATION. 

Though observation, in the strict sense of the word, 
and as it is distinguished from meditation and study, is 
the first means of improvement, and in its strictest sense 
does not include in it any reasonings of the mind upon 
the things which we observe, or inferences drawn from 
them ; yet the motions of the mind are so exceedingly 
swift, that it is hardly possible for a thinking man to 
gain experiences or observations without making some 
secret and short reflections upon them, and therefore in 
giving a few directions concerning this method of im- 
provement, I shall not so narrowly confine myself to the 



TO OBSERVATION. 45 

first mere impression of object on the mind by observa- 
tion ; but include also some hints which relate to the first, 
most easy, and obvious reflections or reasonings which 
arise from them. 

I. Let the enlargement of your knowledge be one 
constant view and design in life ; since there is no time 
or place, no transactions, occurrences, or engagements in 
life, which exclude us from this method of improving the 
mind. When we are alone, even in darkness and 
silence, we may converse with our own hearts, ob- 
serve the working of our own spirits, and reflect upon 
the inward motions of our own passions in some of the 
latest occurrences in life ; we may acquaint ourselves 
with the powers and properties, the tendencies and in- 
clinations, both of body and spirit, and gain a more 
intimate knowledge of ourselves. When we are in 
company, we may discover something more of human 
nature, of human passions and follies, and of human 
affairs, vices, and virtues, by conversing with mankind 
and observing their conduct. Nor is there any thing 
more valuable than the knowledge of ourselves and the 
knowledge of men, except it be the knowledge of God 
who made us and our relation to Him as our Governor. 

When we are in the house or the city, wheresoever we 
turn our eyes, we see the works of men ; when we are 
abroad in the country, we behold more of the works of 
God. The skies above, and the ground beneath us, and 
the animal and vegetable world round about us, may 
entertain our observation with ten thousand varieties. 

Endeavor therefore to derive some instruction or im- 
provement of the mind from every thing which you 
see or hear, from every thing which occurs in human 
life, from every thing within you or without you. 

II. In order to furnish the mind with a rich variety of 
ideas, the laudable curiosity of young people should 



46 IIULES DELATING 

be indulged and gratified, rather than discouraged. It is 
a very hopeful sign in young persons, to see them curious 
in observing, and inquisitive in searching into the great- 
est part of things that occur ; nor should such an inquir- 
ing temper be frowned into silence, nor be rigorously re- 
strained, but should rather be satisfied with proper 
answers given to all those queries. 

For this reason also, where time and fortune allow it, 
young people should be led into company at proper sea- 
sons, should be carried abroad to see the fields, and the 
woods, and the rivers, the buildings, towns, and cities, 
distant from their own dwelling ; they should be enter- 
tained with the sight of strange birds, beasts, fishes, in- 
sects, vegetables, and productions both of nature and 
of art of every kind, whether they are the products of 
their own or foreign nations : and in due time, where 
Providence gives opportunity, they may travel under a 
wise inspector or tutor to different parts of the world for 
the same end, that they may bring home treasures of 
useful knowledge. 

III. Among all these observations write down what is 
most remarkable and uncommon : reserve these re- 
marks in store for proper occasions, and at proper seasons 
take a review of them. Such a practice will give you a 
habit of useful thinking ; this will secure the workings of 
your soul from running to waste ; and by this means 
even your looser moments will turn to happy account 
both here and hereafter. 

And whatever useful observations have been made, 
let them be at least some part of the subject of your con- 
versation among your friends at next meeting. 

Let the circumstances or situation in life be what or 
where they will, a man should never neglect this im- 
provement which may be derived from observation. Let 
him trawl for his own humor as a traveler, or pursue 



TO OBSERVATION. 47 

his diversions in what part of the world he pleases as a 
gentleman : let prosperous or adverse fortune call him 
to the most distant parts of the globe ; still let him 
carry on his knowledge and the improvement of his soul 
by wise observations. In due time, by this means, he 
may render himself some way useful to the societies of 
mankind. 

IV. Let us keep our minds as free as possible from 
passions and prejudices ; for these will give a wrong 
turn to our observations both on persons and things. 
The eyes of a man in the jaundice make yellow observa- 
tions on every thing ; and the soul, tinctured with any 
passion or prejudice, diffuses a false color over the real 
appearance of things, and disguises many of the com- 
mon occurrences of life : it never beholds things in a 
true light, nor suffers them to appear as they are. 
Whensoever, therefore, you would make proper obser- 
vations, let self, with all its influences, stand aside as 
far as possible ; abstract your own interest and your own 
concern from them, and bid all friendships and enmi- 
ties stand aloof and keep out of the way, in the ob- 
servations that you make relating to persons and things. 

If this rule were well obeyed, we should be much 
better guarded against those common pieces of miscon- 
duct in the observations of men, viz : the false judg- 
ments of pride and envy. How ready is envy to 
mingle with the notices which we take of other persons. 
How often is mankind prone to put an ill sense upon 
the action of their neighbors, to take a survey of them 
in an evil position and in an unhappy light ! And by 
this means we form a worse opinion of our neighbors 
than they deserve ; while at the same time pride and 
self-flattery tempt us to make unjust observations on 
ourselves in our own favor. In all the favorable judg- 
ments we pass concerning ourselves, we should allow a 
little abatement ou this account. 



48 RULES RELATING TO OBSERVATION. 

V. In making your observations on persons, take care 
of indulging that busy curiosity which is ever inquir- 
ing into private and domestic affairs, with an endless 
itch of learning the secret history of families. It is but 
seldom that such a prying, curiosity attains any valuable 
ends : it often begets suspicions, jealousies, and disturb- 
ances in households, and it is a frequent temptation to 
persons to defame their neighbors : some persons can not 
help telling what they know : a busybody is most liable 
to become a tattler upon every occasion. 

VI. Let your observation, even of persons and their 
conduct be chiefly designed in order to lead you to a 
better acquaintance with things, particularly with hu- 
man nature ; and to inform you what to imitate and 
what to avoid, rather than to furnish out matter for the 
evil passions of the mind, or the impertinencies of dis- 
course and reproaches of the tongue. 

VII. Though it may be proper sometimes to make 
your observations concerning persons as well as things 
the subject of your discourse in learned or useful con- 
versations, yet what remarks you make on particular 
persons, particularly to their disadvantage, should for 
the most part lie hid in your own breast, till some just 
and apparent occasion, some necessary call of Provi- 
dence, leads you to speak to them. 

If the character or conduct which you observe be 
greatly culpable, it should so much the less be published! 
You may treasure up such remarks of the follies, inde- 
cencies, or vices of your neighbors as may be a constant 
guard against your practice of the same, without expos- 
ing the reputation of your neighbor on that account. It 
is a good old rule, that our conversation should rather 
belaid out on tilings than on persons; and this rule 
should generally be observed, unless names be concealed, 
wheresoever the faults or follies <>f mankind arc oui 
present theme. 



OF BOOKS AND READ TNG. 49 

YITT. Be not too hasty to erect general theories from 
a few particular observations, appearances, or experi- 
ments. This is what the logicians call a false induction. 
When general observations are drawn from so many par- 
ticulars as to become certain and indubitable, these are 
jewels of knowledge, comprehending great treasure in 
little room : but they are therefore to be made with the 
greater care and caution, lest errors become large and 
diffusive, if we should mistake in these general notions. 

A hasty determination of some universal principles, 
without a due survey of all the particular cases which 
may be included in them, is the way to lay a trap for 
our own understandings, in their pursuit of any sub- 
ject, and we shall often be taken captives into mistake 
and falsehood. 

Niveo in his youth observed, that on three Christmas Days 
together there fell a good quantity of snow, and now hath 
writ it down in his almanac, as a part of his wise remarks on 
the weather, that it will always snow at Christmas. Euron, 
a young lad, took notice ten times, that there was a sharp frost 
when the wind was in the north-east; therefore, in the middle 
of the last July, he almost expected it should freeze, because 
the weather-cocks showed him a north-east wind ; and he was 
still more disappointed, when he found it a very sultry season. 



CHAPTEE IV. 

OF BOOKS AND READING. 

I. The world is full of Books ; but there are multi- 
tudes which are so ill written, they were never worth 
any man's reading ; and there are thousands more which 
may be good in their kind, yet are worth nothing when 
the month or year, or occasion is past for which they 
were written. Others may be valuable in themselves for 
some special purpose, or in some peculiar science, but 
are not fit to be perused by any but those who are en- 



50 OF BOOKS AND READING. 

gaged in that particular science or business. To what 
use is it for a divine or a physician, or a tradesman, to 
read over the huge volumes of reports of judged cases 
in the law ? or for a lawyer to learn Hebrew and read 
the Eabbins ? It is of vast advantage for improvement 
of knowledge, and saving time, for a young man to 
have the most proper books for his reading recom- 
mended by a judicious friend. 

II. Books of importance of any kind, and especially 
complete treatises on any subject, should be first read 
in a more general and cursory manner, to learn a little 
what the treatise promises, and what you may expect from 
the writer's manner and skill. And for this end I would 
advise always that the preface be read and a survey 
taken of the table of contents, if there be one, before 
the survey of the book. By this means you will not 
only be better fitted to give the book the first reading, 
but you will be much assisted in your second perusal 
of it, which should be done with greater attention and 
deliberation, and you will learn with more ease and 
readiness what the author pretends to teach. In your 
reading, mark what is new or unknown to you before, 
and review those chapters, pages, or paragraphs. Unless 
a reader has an uncommon and most retentive memory, 
I may venture to affirm, that there is scarce any book or 
chapter worth reading once, that is not worthy of a 
second perusal. At least take a careful review of all 
the lines or paragraphs which you marked, and make a 
recollection of the sections which you thought truly 
valuable. 

There is another reason also why I would choose to 
take a superficial and cursory survey of a book, before 
I sit down to read it and dwell upon it with studious 
attention ; and that is, that there may be several difficul- 
ties in it which we can not easilv understand and con- 



OF BOOKS AND READING. 51 

quer at the first reading, for want of a fuller compre- 
\u n ion of the author's whole scheme. And there lore 
in such treatises, we should not stay till we master every 
difficulty at the first perusal ; for perhaps many of these 
would appear to be solved when we have proceeded far- 
ther in that book, or would vanish of themselves upon 
a second reading. 

III. If three or four persons agreed to read the same 
book, and each brings his own remarks upon it, at some 
set hours appointed for conversation, and they commu- 
nicate mutually their sentiments on the subject and 
debate about it in a friendly manner, this practice will 
render the reading of any author more abundantly bene- 
ficial to any one of them. 

IY. If several persons engaged in the same study, 
take into their hands distinct treatises on one subject, 
and appoint a season of communication once a week, 
they may inform each other in a brief manner concern- 
ing the sense, sentiments, and methods of those several 
authors, and thereby promote each other's improve- 
ment, either by recommending the perusal of the same 
book to their companions, or perhaps by satisfying their 
inquiries concerning it by conversation, without every 
one's perusing it. 

Y. Eemember that your business in reading or in 
conversation, especially on subjects of natural, moral, 
or divine science, is not merely to know the opinion of 
the author or speaker, for this is but the mere knowl- 
edge of history ; but your chief business is to consider 
whether their opinions are right or not, and to im- 
prove your own solid knowledge on that subject by 
meditation on the themes of their writing or discourse. 
1 teal freely with every author you read, and yield up 
your assent only to evidence and just reasoning on the 
subject. 



52 OF BOOKS AND READING. 

Here I would be understood to speak only of human 
authors, and not of the sacred and inspired writings. 
In these our business is only to find out the true sense, 
and understand the true meaning of the paragraph and 
page, and our assent then is bound to follow when we 
are before satisfied that the writing is divine. Yet I 
might add also, that even this is sufficient evidence to 
demand our assent. 

But in the composures of men, remember you are a 
man as well as they ; and it is not their reason, but your 
own that is given to guide you when you arrive at years 
of discretion, of manly age and judgment. 

VI. Let this therefore be your practice, especially after 
you have gone through one course of any science in your 
academical studies ; if a writer on that subject maintains 
the same sentiments as you do, yet if he does not explain 
his ideas or prove his positions well, mark the faults or 
defects, and endeavor to do better, either in the 
margin of your book, or rather in some papers of your 
own, or at least let it be done in your private meditations. 
As for instance : 

"Where the author is obscure, enlighten him: where 
he is imperfect, supply his deficiencies : where he is too 
brief and concise, amplify a little, and set his notions in 
a fairer view : where he is redundant, mark those para- 
graphs to be retrenched : when he trifles and grows 
impertinent, abandon those passages or pages : when he 
argues, observe whether his reasons be conclusive : if 
the conclusion be true, and yet the argument weak, 
endeavor to confirm it by better proofs : where he 
derives or infers any proposition darkly and doubtfully, 
make the justice of the inference appear, and make 
further inferences or corollaries, if such occur to your 
mind : where you suppose he is in a mistake, propose 
your objections and correct his sentiments: what he 



OF BOOKS AND READING. 53 

writes so well as to approve itself of your judgment, 
both as just and useful, treasure it up in your memory, 
and count it a part of your intellectual gains. 

Note, many of these same directions, which I have 
now given, may be practiced with regard to conversation 
as well as reading, in order to render it useful in the most 
extensive and lasting manner. 

VII. Other things also of the like nature may be use- 
fully practiced with regard to the authors which you read, 
viz.: If the method of a book be irregular, reduce it 
into form, by a little analysis of your own, or by hints 
in the margin: If those things are heaped together, 
which should be separated, you may wisely distinguish 
and divide them : if several things relating to the same 
subject are scattered up and down separately through 
the treatise, you may bring them all to one view by ref- 
erences ; or if the matter of a book be really valuable 
and deserving, you may throw it into a better method, 
reduce it to a more logical scheme, or abridge it into a 
lesser form : all these practices will have a tendency both 
to advance your skill in logic and method, to improve 
your judgment in general, and to give you a fuller survey 
of that subject in particular. When you have finished 
the treatise with all your observations upon it, recollect 
and determine what real improvements you have made 
by reading that author. 

VIII. If a book has no index to it, or good table of 
contents, it is very useful to make one as you are reading 
it: not with that exactness as to include the sense of 
every page and paragraph, which should be done if you 
designed to print it ; but it is sufficient in your index to 
take notice only of those parts of the book which are 
new to you, or which you think well written and well 
worthy of your own remembrance or review. 
Shall I be so free as to assure my younger friends, 



54 OF BOOKS AND READING. 

from my own experience, that these methods of reading 
will cost some pains in the first year of your study, and 
especially in the first authors which you peruse in any 
science, or on any particular subject : but the profit will 
richly compensate the pains. And in the following 
years of life, after you have read a few valuable books on 
any special subject in this manner, it will be easy to read 
others of the same kind, because you will not usually 
find very much new matter in them which you have not 
already examined. 

If the writer be remarkable for any peculiar excel- 
lences or defects in his style or manner of writing, make 
just observations upon this also ; and whatsoever orna- 
ments you find there, or whatsoever blemishes occur in 
the language or manner of the writer, you may make 
just remarks uj)on them. And remember that one book 
read over in this manner, with all this laborious medita- 
tion, will tend more to enrich your understanding, than 
the skimming over the surface of twenty authors. 

IX. By perusing books in the manner I have described, 
you will make all your reading subservient not only to 
the enlargement of your treasures of knowledge, but also 
to the improvement of your reasoning powers. 

There are many who read with constancy and dili- 
gence, and yet make no advances in true knowledge by 
it. They are delighted with the notions which they read 
or hear, as they would be with stories that are told ; but 
they do not weigh them in their minds as* in a just 
balance, in order to determine their truth or falsehood ; 
they make no observations upon them, or inferences 
from them. Perhaps their eyes slide over the pages, or 
the words slide over their ears, and vanish like a rhap- 
sody of evening tales, or the shadows of a cloud flying 
over a green field in a summer's day. 

Or if they review them sufficiently to fix them in their 



OF BOOKS AND READING. 55 

remembrance, it is merely with a design to tell the tale 
over again, and show what men of learning they are. 
Thus they dream out their days in a course of reading, 
without real advantage. As a man may be eating all 
day, and, for want of digestion is never nourished ; so 
those endless readers may cram themselves in vain 
with intellectual food, and without real improvement 
of their minds, for want of digesting it by proper re- 
flections. 

X. Be diligent therefore in observing these directions. 
Enter into the sense and arguments of the authors you 
read; examine all their proofs, and then judge of the 
truth or falsehood of their opinions * and thereby you 
shall not only gain a rich increase of your understanding, 
by those truths which the author teaches, when you see 
them well supported, but you shall acquire also by 
degrees a habit of judging justly and of reasoning 
well, in imitation of the good writer whose works you 
peruse. 

This is laborious indeed, and the mind is backward 

to undergo the fatigue of weighing every argument and 

tracing every thing to its original. It is much less labor 

to take all things upon trust : believing is much easier 

than arguing. 

But when Studentio had once persuaded his mind to tie itself 
down to this method which I have prescribed, he sensibly 
gained an admirable facility to read, and judge of what he 
read by his daily practice of it, and the man made largo 
advances in the pursuit of truth ; while Plumbinus and Plunieo 
made less progress in knowledge, though they had read over 
more folios. Plumeo skimmed over the pages like a swallow 
over the flowery meads in May. Plumbinus read every line 
and syllable, but did not give himself the trouble of thinking 4 
and judging about them. They both could boast in company* 
of their great reading, for they knew more titles and pages 
than Studentio, but were far less acquainted with science. 

I confess those whose reading is designed only to fit 

them for much talk and little knowledge, may content 



56 OF BOOKS AND READING. 

themselves to run over their authors in such a sudden 
and trifling way; they may devour libraries in this 
maimer, yet bo poor reasoners at last ; and have no solid 
wisdom or true learning. The traveler who walks on 
fair and softly in a course that points right, and examines 
every turning before he ventures upon it, will come 
sooner and safer to his journey's end, than he who runs 
through every lane he meets, though he gallops full 
speed all the day. The man of much reading and a 
large retentive memory, but without meditation, may 
become, in the sense of the world, a knowing man ; and 
if he converse much with the ancients, he may attain 
the fame of learning too ; but he spends his days afar 
off from wisdom and true judgment, and possesses 
very little of the substantial riches of the mind. 

XI. Never apply yourselves to read any human author 
with a determination beforehand either for or against 
him, or with a settled resolution to believe or disbelieve, 
to confirm or to oppose, whatsoever he saith ; but always 
read with a design to lay your mind open to truth, 
and to embrace it wheresoever you find it, as well as to 
reject every falsehood, though it appear under ever so fair 
a disguise. How unhappy are those men who seldom 
take an author into their hands but they have deter- 
mined before they begin whether they will like or dislike 
him ! They have got some notion of his name, his char- 
acter, his party, or his principles, by general conversa- 
tion, or perhaps by some slight view of a few pages ; and 
having all their own opinions adjusted beforehand, they 
read all that he writes with a prepossession either for or 
against him. Unhappy those who hunt and purvey for 
a party, and scrape together out of every author all those 
things, and tho^e only, which favor their own tenets, 
while they despise and neglect all the rest ! 

XII. Yet take this caution. I would not be under- 



OF BOOKS AND READING. 57 

stood here, as though I persuaded a person to live without 
any settled principles at all, by which to judge of men, 

and books, and things : or that I would keep a man 
always doubling about his foundations. The chief 
things that I design in this advice, are these three : 

1. That after our most necessary and important prin- 
ciples of science, prudence, and religion, are settled upon 
good grounds, with regard to our present conduct and 
our future hopes, we should read with a just freedom of 
thought all those books which treat of such subjects as 
may admit of doubt and reasonable dispute. Nor should 
any of our opinions be so resolved upon, especially in 
younger years, as never to hear or to bear an opposition 
to them. 

2. When we peruse those authors who defend our own 
settled sentiments, we should not take all their argu- 
ments for just and solid ; but we should make a wise dis- 
tinction between the corn and the chaff, between solid reason- 
ing and the mere superficial colors of it ; nor should w T e 
readily swallow down all their lesser opinions because 
we agree with, them in the greater. 

3. That when we read those authors which oppose our 
most certain and established principles, we should be 
ready to receive any informations from them in other 
points, and not abandon at once every thing they say, 
though w r e are well fixed in our opposition to their main 
point of arguing. 

...... Fas est ab hoste docerL — Virg. 

Seize upon truth where'er 'tis found, 
Amongst your friends, amongst your foes, 

On Christian or on heathen ground ; 
The flower's divine where'er it grows : 
Neglect the prickles and assume the rose. 

XIII. What I have said hitherto on this subject, 
relating to books and reading, must be chiefly under- 
stood of that sort of books, and those hours of our read- 



58 OF BOOKS AND liEADINO. 

ing and study, whereby we design to improve the 
intellectual powers of th<' mind with natural, moral, or 
divine knowledge. As for those treatises which are 
written to direct or to enforce and persuade our prac- 
tice, there is one thing further necessary; and that is, 
that when our consciences are convinced that these 
rules of prudence or duty belong to us, and require our 
conformity to them, we should then call ourselves to 
account, and inquire seriously whether we have put 
them in practice or not; we should dwell upon the 
arguments, and impress the motives and methods of 
persuasion upon our own hearts, till we feel the force 
and power of them inclining us to the practice of the 
things which are there recommended. 

If folly or vice be represented in its open colors, or its 
secret disguises, let us search our hearts, and review our 
lives, and inquire how far we are criminal ; nor should 
we ever think we have done with the treatise while we 
feel ourselves in sorrow for our past misconduct, and 
aspiring after a victory over those vices, or till we find a 
cure of those follies begun to be wrought upon our souls. 

In all our studies and pursuits of knowledge, let us 
remember that virtue and vice, sin and holiness, and the 
conformation of our hearts and lives to the duties of true 
religion and morality, are things of far more consequence 
than all the furniture of our understanding, and the 
ri chest treasures of more speculative knowledge; and 
that, because they have a more immediate and effectual 
influence upon, our eternal felicity or eternal sorrow. 

XIV. There is yet another sort of books, of which it 
is proper I should say something, while I am treating on 
this subject ; and these are history, poesy, travels ; books 
of diversion or amusement : among which we may reckon 
also little common pamphlets; newspapers, or such like: 
for many of these I confess once reading may be suf- 
ficient, where there is a tolerable good memory. 



OF BOOKS AND READING. 59 

Or when several persons are in company, and one 
reads to the rest such a sort of writing, once hearing 
maybe sufficient, provided that everyone be so atten- 
tive, and so free, as to make their occasional remarks on 
such lines or sentences, such periods or paragraphs, as 
in their opinion deserve it. Now all those paragraphs 
or sentiments deserve a remark, which are new and 
uncommon, are noble and excellent for the matter of 
them, are strong and convincing for the argument con- 
tained in them, are beautiful and elegant for the lan- 
guage or the manner, or any way worthy of a second 
rehearsal ; and at the request of any of the company, let 
those paragraphs be read over again. 

Such parts also of these writings as may happen to be 
remarkably stupid or silly, false or mistaken, should 
become subjects of an occasional criticism, made by some 
of the conrpany ; and this may give occasion to the repe- 
tition of them, for the confirmation of the censure, for 
amusement or diversion. 

Still let it be remembered, that where the historical 
narration is of considerable moment, where the poesy, 
oratory, etc., shine with some degrees of perfection and 
glory, a single reading is neither sufficient to satisfy a 
mind that has a true taste for this sort of writings ; nor 
can we make the fullest and best improvement of them 
without proper reviews, and that in our retirement as 
well as in company. Who is there that has any taste for 
polite writings that would be sufficiently satisfied with 
hearing the beautiful pages of Steele or Addison, the 
admirable descriptions of Virgil or Milton, or some of 
the finest poems of Pope, Young, or Dryden, once read 
over to them, and then lay them by for ever ? 

XV. Among these writings of the latter kind we may 
justly reckon short miscellaneous essays on all man- 
ner of subjects ; such as the Occasional Papers, the Tatters, 



60 OF BOOKS AND READING. 

the Spectators, and some other books that have been 
compiled out of the weekly or daily products of the 
press, wherein are contained a great number of bright 
thoughts, ingenious remarks, and admirable observations, 
which have had a considerable share in furnishing the 
present age with knowledge and politeness. 

I wish every paper among these writings could have been 
recommended both as innocent and useful. I wish every 
unseemly idea and wanton expression had been banished from 
amongst them, and every trifling page had been excluded from 
the company of the rest when they had been bound up in 
volumes : but it is not to be expected, in so imperfect a state, 
that every page or piece of such mixed public papers should be 
entirely blameless and laudable. Yet in the main it must be 
confessed, there is so much virtue, prudence, ingenuity, and 
goodness in them, especially in eight volumes of Spectators, 
there is such a reverence for things sacred, so many valuable 
remarks for our conduct in life, that they are not improper to 
lie in parlors, or summer-houses, or places of usual residence, 
to entertain our thoughts in any moments of leisure or vacant 
hours that occur. There is such a discovery of the follies, in- 
iquities, and fashionable vices of mankind contained in them, 
that w r e may learn much of the humors and madnesses of the 
age and the public world, in our own solitary retirement, 
without the danger of frequenting vicious company, or receiv- 
ing the mortal infection. 

XVI. Among other books which are proper and requi- 
site, in order to prove our knowledge in general, or our 
acquaintance with any particular science, it is necessary 
that we should be furnished with vocabularies and 
dictionaries of several sorts, viz., of common words, 
idioms, and phrases, in order to explain their sense ; of 
technical words or the terms of art, to show their use in 
arts and sciences; of names of men, countries, towns, 
rivers, etc. , which are called historical and geographical 
dictionaries, etc. These are to be consulted and used 
upon every occasion ; and never let an unknown word 
pass in your reading without seeking for its sense and 
meaning in some of these writers. 

If such books are not at hand, you must supply the 



JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. Gl 

want of them as well as you can, by consulting such as 
can in form you: and it is useful to note down the mat- 
ters of doubt and inquiry in some pocket-book, and take 
the first opportunity to get them resolved, either by per- 
sons or books, Avhen we meet with them. 

XVII. Be not satisfied with a mere knowledge of the 
best authors that treat of any subject, instead of ac- 
quainting ourselves thoroughly with the subject 
itself. There is many a young student that is fond of 
enlarging his knowledge of books, and he contents him- 
self with the notice he has of their title-page, which is 
the attainment of a bookseller rather than of a scholar. 
Such persons are under a great temptation to practice 
these two follies. (1.) To heap up a great number of 
books at a greater expense than most of them can bear, 
and to furnish their libraries infinitely better than their 
understanding. And (2) when they have gotten such 
rich treasures of knowledge upon their shelves, they 
imagine themselves men of learning and take a pride 
in talking of the names of famous authors, and the sub- 
jects of which they treat, without any real improvement 
of their own minds in true science or wisdom. At best 
their learning reaches no farther than the indexes and 
tables of contents, while they know not how to judge or 
reason concerning the matters contained in those authors. 

And indeed how many volumes of learning soever a 
man possesses, he is still deplorably poor in his under- 
standing, till he has made those several parts of learn- 
ing his own property by reading and reasoning, by judg- 
ing for himself and remembering what he has read. 



CHAPTEE V. 

JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. 

I. If we would form a judgment of a book which we 
have not seen before, the first thing that offers is the 



62 JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. 

title-page, and we may sometimes guess a little at the 
import and design of a book thereby ; though it must be 
confessed that titles are often deceitful and promise 
more than the book performs. The author' s name , if it 
be known in the world, may help us to conjecture at the 
performance a little more, and lead us to guess in what 
manner it is done. A perusal of the preface or intro- 
duction (which I before recommended) may further 
assist our judgment ; and if there be an index of the 
contents, it will give us still some advancing light. 

If we have not leisure or inclination to read over the 
book itself regularly, then by the titles of chapters we 
may be directed to peruse several particular chapters or 
sections, and observe whether there be anything valua- 
ble or important in them. We shall find hereby whether 
the author explains his ideas clearly, whether he reasons 
strongly, whether he methodizes well, whether his 
thought and sense be manly, and his manner polite ; or, 
on the other hand, whether he be obscure, weak, trifling, 
and confused ; or, finally, whether the matter may not 
be solid and substantial, though the style and maimer be 
rude and disagreeable. 

II. By having run through several chapters and sec- 
tions in this manner, we may generally judge whether 
the treatise be worth a complete perusal or not. But if 
by such an occasional survey of some chapters our ex- 
pectation be utterly discouraged, we may well lay 
aside that book ; for there is great probability he can be 
but an indifferent writer on that subject, if he affords 
but one prize to divers blanks, and it may be some 
downright blots too. The piece can hardly be valuable 
if in seven or eight chapters which we peruse there be 
but little truth, evidence, force of reasoning, beauty, in- 
genuity of thought, etc., mingled with much error, 
ignorance, impertinence, dullness, mean and common 



JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. 63 

thoughts, inaccuracy, sophistry, railing, etc. Life is 
too short, and time is too precious, to read every new 
book quite over, in order to find that it is not worth the 
reading. 

III. There are some general mistakes which persons 
are frequently guilty of in passing a judgment on the 
books which they read. 

One is this : when a treatise is written but tolerably 
well, we are ready to pass a favorable judgment of it 
and sometimes to exalt its character far beyond its merit, 
if it agree with our own principles and support the 
opinions of our party. On the other hand, if the author 
be of different sentiments and espouse contrary prin- 
ciples, we can find neither wit nor reason, good sense, nor 
good language in it ; whereas, alas ! if our opinions of 
things were certain and infallible truth, yet a silly author 
may draw his pen in the defense of them, and he may 
attack even gross errors with feeble and ridiculous argu- 
ments. Truth in this world is not always attended and 
supported by the wisest and safest methods ; and error, 
though it can never be maintained by just reasoning, yet 
may be artfully covered and defended. An ingenious 
writer may put excellent colors upon his own mistakes. 
Books are never to be judged of merely by their subject, 
or the opinion they represent, but by the justness of 
their sentiment, the beauty of their manner, the force of 
their expression, or the strength of reason, and the 
weight of just and proper argument which appears in 
them. 

IV. Another mistake which some persons fall into is 
this : when they read a treatise on a subject with which 
they have but little acquaintance, they find almost 
every thing new and strange to them: their under- 
standings are greatly entertained and improved by the 
occurrence of many things which were unknown to them 



64 JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. 

before; they admire the treatise and commend the 
author at once ; whereas, if they had attained a good de- 
gree of skill in that science, perhaps they would find that 
the author had written very poorly, that neither his sense 
nor his method was just and proper, and that he had 
nothing in him hut what was very common or trivial in 
hi:; discourses on that subject. 

Hence it comes to pass that Cario and Faber, who were both 
bred up to labor and unacquainted with the sciences, shall 
admire one of the weekly papers, or a little pamphlet that 
talks pertly on some critical or learned theme, because the 
matter is all strange and new to them, and they join to extol 
the writer to the skies ; while at the same time, persons well 
skilled in the.se different subjects, hear the impertinent tattle 
with a just contempt : for they know how weak and awkward 
many of these diminutive discourses are ; and that those very 
papers of science, politics, or trade, which were so much ad- 
mired by the ignorant, are perhaps but very mean perform- 
ances ; though it must also be confessed there are some excellent 
essays in those papers, and that upon science as well as trade. 

V. But there is a danger of mistake in our judgment 
of books, on the other hand also : for when we have 
made ourselves masters of any particular theme of 
knowledge, and surveyed it long on all sides, there is 
perhaps scarcely any writer on that subject who much 
entertains and pleases us afterwards, because we find 
little or nothing new in him ; and yet, in a true 
judgment, perhaps his sentiments are most proper and 
just, his explication clear, and his reasoning strong, and 
all the parts of the discourse are well connected and set 
in a happy light ; but we knew most of those things be- 
fore, and therefore they strike us not, and we are in 
danger of discommending them. 

Thus the learned and the unlearned have their several 
distinct dangers and prejudices ready to attend them in 
their judgment of the writings of men. These which I 
have mentioned are a specimen of them, and indeed but 
a mere specimen ; for the prejudices that warp our judg- 
ment aside from truth are almost infinite and endless. 



JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. G5 

VI. Yet I can not forbear to point out two or three 
more of these follies, that I may attempt something to- 
wards the correction of them, or at least to guard others 
against them. 

There are some persons of a forward and lively 
temper, and who are fond to intermeddle with all ap- 
pearances of knowledge, will give their judgment on a 
book as soon as the title of it is mentioned, for they 
would not willingly seem ignorant of any thing that 
others know. And especially if they happen to have 
any superior character or possessions of this world, they 
fancy they have a right to talk freely upon every thing 
that stirs or appears, though they have no other pre- 
tense to this freedom. 

Divito is worth forty thousand pounds. Politulus is a fine 
young gentleman, who sparkles in all the shining things of 
dross and equipage. Aulinus is a small attendant on a min- 
ister of state, and is at court almost every day. These three 
happened to meet on a visit where an excellent book of warm 
and refined devotions lay on the window. What dull stuff is 
here ! said Divito ; I never read so much nonsense in one page 
in my life ; nor would I give a shilling for a thousand such 
treatises. Aulinus, though a courtier, had not used to speak 
roughly, yet would not allow there was a line of good sense in 
the book, and pronounced him a madman that wrote it in his 
secret retirement, and declared him a fool that published it 
after his death. Politulus had more manners than to differ 
from men of such rank and character, and therefore he sneered 
at the devout expressions as he heard them read, and made the 
divine treatise a matter of scorn and ridicule ; and yet it was 
well known, that neither this fine gentleman, nor the courtier, 
nor the man of wealth, had a grain of devotion in them be- 
yond their horses that waited at the door with their gilded 
chariots. But this is the way of the world; blind men will 
talk of the beauty of colors, and of the harmony or dispropor- 
tion of figures in painting ; the deaf will prate of discords in 
music; and those who have nothing to do with religion will 
arraign the best treatise on divine subjects, though they do not 
understand the very language of the Scriptures, nor the com- 
mon terms or phrases used in Christianity. 

VII. I might here name another sort of judges, who 
will set themselves up to decide in favor of an author, 



66 JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. 

or will pronounce him a mere blunderer, according to 

the company they have kept and the judgment they 

have heard passed upon a book by others of their own 

stamp or size, though they have no knowledge or 

taste of the subject themselves. These, with a fluent 

and voluble tongue, become mere echoes of the praises 

or censures of other men. 

Sonillus happt ned to be in the room where the three gentle- 
men just mentioned gave out their thoughts so lively upou an 

admirable hook of devotion : and two days afterwards he met 
with some friends of his, where this book was the subject of 
conversation and praise. Sonillus wondered at their dullness, 
and repeated the jests which he had heard east upon the weak- 
ness of the author. His knowledge of the book, and his de- 
cision upon it, was all from hearsay, for he had never seen it ; 
and if he had lead it through, he had no manner of right to 
judge about the tilings of religion, having no more knowledge 
or taste of any thing of inward piety than a hedgehog or a bear 
has of politeness. 

When I had written these remarks, Probus, who knew all 
the four gentlemen, wished they might have an opportunity 
to read their own character as it is represented here. Alas! 
Probus, I fear it would do them very little good, though it may 
guard others against their folly ; for there is never a one of 
them would find their own name in these characters if they 
read them, though all their acquaintance would acknowledge 
the features immediately and see the persons almost alive in 
the picture. 

VIII. There is yet another mischievous principle 
which prevails among some persons in passing a judg- 
ment on the writings of others, and that is, when from 
the secret stimulations of vanity, pride, or envy, they 
despise a valuable book, and throw contempt upon it 
by wholesale : and if you ask them the reason of their 
severe censure, they will tell you, perhaps, they have 
found a mistake or two in it, or there are a lew senti- 
ments or expressions not suited to their tooth and humor. 

Bavis cries down an admirable treatise of philosophy and 
says there is atheism in it, because there are a few sentiments 
that seem to suppose brutes to be mere machines. Under the 
same influence, Momus will not allow J'aradizc Lout to be a 



JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. 67 

good poem, because he has read some Hat and heavy lines in it; 
and he thought Milton had too much honor done him. It is a 
paltry humor that inclines a man to rail at any human per- 
formance, because it is not absolutely perfect. 

Si; nt delicta tamen quibus ignovisse velimus, 

Nam neque chorda sonum reddit quern vult manus et mens, 

Nee semper feriet quodcunque minabitur arcus : 

Veruni ubi plura nitent in carmine, non ego paucis 

Oflendar maculis, quas aut incuria fudit, 

Aut humana parum cavit natura. — llor. da Art. Pott. 

Thus Englished : 

Be not too rigidly censorious : 

A string may jar in the best master's hand, 

And the most skillful archer miss his aim. 

So in a poem elegantly writ, 

I will not quarrel with a small mistake, 

Such as our nature's frailty may excuse. 

— Roscommon. 

This noble translator of Horace, whom I here cite, has 

a very honorable opinion of Homer in the main ; yet 

he allows him to be justly censured for some grosser 

spots and blemishes in him : 

For who without aversion ever looked 
On holy garbarge, though by Homer cooked ; 
Whose railing heroes, and whose wounded gods, 
Make some suspect he snores as well as nods. 

Such wise and just distinctions ought to be made when 
we pass a judgment on mortal things ; but Envy con- 
demns by wholesale. Envy is a cursed plant; some 
libers of it are rooted in almost every man's nature, and 
it works in a sly and imperceptible manner, and that even 
in some persons who in the main are men of wisdom and 
piety. They know not how to bear the praises that are 
given to an ingenious author, especially if he be living, 
and of their profession ; and therefore they will, if pos- 
sible, find some blemish in his writings, that they may 
nibble and bark at it. They will endeavor to diminish 
the honor of the best treatise that has been written on 
any subject, and to render it useless by their censures, 



68 JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. 

rather than suffer their envy to lie asleep and the little 
mistakes of that author to pass unexposed. Perhaps 
they will commend the work in general with a pretended 
air of candor 5 but pass so many sly and invidious re- 
marks upon it afterwards, as shall effectually destroy all 
their cold and formal praises. 

IX. When a person feels any thing of this invidious 
humor working in him, he may by the following consid- 
eration attempt the correction of it. Let him think with 
himself how many are the beauties of such an author 
whom he censures, in comparison with his blemishes, and 
remember that it is a much more honorable and good- 
naturedthingto find out peculiar beauties than faults ; 
true and undisguised candor is a much more amiable and 
divine talent than accusation. Let him reflect again, 
what an easy matter it is to find a mistake in all human 
authors, who are necessarily fallible and imperfect. 

I confess, where an author sets up himself to ridicule divine 
writers, and things sacred, and yet assumes an air of sovreignty 
and dictatorship, to exalt and almost deify all the pagan 
ancients, and cast his scorn upon all the moderns, especially 
it' they do but savor of miracles and the Gospel ; it is fit the 
admirers of this author should know, that nature and these 
ancients are not the same, though some writers unite them. 
Reason and nature never made these ancient heathens their 
standard, either of art or genius, of writing or heroism. Sir 
Richard Steele, in his little essay, called the Christian Hero, 
has shown our Saviour and St. Paul in a more glorious and 
transcendent light than a Virgil or Homer could do for their 
Achilles, Ulysses, or JEneas : and I am persuaded, if Moses 
and David had not been inspired writers, these very men 
would have ranked them at least with Herodotus, if not given 
them the superior place. 

But where an author lias many beauties consistent 

with virtue, piety, and truth, let not little critics exalt 

themselves and shower down their ill nature upon him 

without bounds or measure 5 but rather stretch their own 

powers of soul till they write a treatise superior to that 

which they condemn. This is the noblest and surest 

manner of sup] - sis inc. 



JUDGMENT OF BOOKS. GO 

A little wit or a little learning, with a good degree 
of vanity and ill nature, will teach a man to pour out 

whole pages of remark and reproach upon one real or 
fancied mistake of a great and good author: and lliis 
may be dressed up by the same talent:; and made enter- 
taining enough to the world, which loves reproach and 
scandal : but if the remarker would but once make this 
attempt, and try to outshine the author by writing a 
better book on the same subject, he would soon be con- 
vinced of his own insufficiency, and perhaps might learn 
to judge more justly and favorably of the performance 
of other men. A cobbler or a shoemaker may find some 
little fault with the latchet of a shoe that an Apelles had 
painted, and perhaps with justice too, when the whole 
figure and portraiture is such as none but Apelles could 
paint. Every poor low genius may cavil at what the 
richest and the noblest hath j)erformed ; but it is a sign 
of . envy and malice, added to the littleness and poverty 
of genius, when such a cavil becomes a sufficient reason 
to pronounce at once against a bright author and a whole 
valuable treatise. 

X. Another, and that a very frequent fault in passing 
a judgment upon books, is this, that persons spread the 
same praises or the same reproaches over a whole 
treatise, and all the chapters in it, which are due only to 
some of them. They judge as it were by wholesale, 
without making a due distinction between the several 
parts or sections of the performance ; and this is ready 
to lead those who hear them talk into a dangerous mis- 
take. 

Milton is a noble genius, and the world agrees to confess it : 
his poem of Paradise Lost is a glorious performance and rivals 
the most famous pieces of antiquity ; but that reader must be 
deeply prejudiced in favor of the poet, who can imagine him 
equal to himself through all that work. Neither the sublime 
sentiments, nor dignity of numbers, nor force or beauty of 
expression, are equally maintained, even in all those parts 



70 OF LIVING INSTRUCTIONS 

which require grandeur or beauty, force or harmony. I can not 
but consent to Mr. Dry den's opinion, though I will not use his 
words, that for some scores of lines together there is ueoldness 
; ; l flatness, and almost a perfect absence of that spirit of 
poesy which breathes, and lives, and Uames in other pages. 

XI. When you hear any person pretending to give his 
judgment of a book, consider with yourself whether lie 
be a capable judge, or whether he may not lie under 
some unhappy bias or prejudice, for or against it, or 
whether he has made a sufficient inquiry to form his 
justest sentiments upon it. 

Though he be a man of good sense, yet he is incapable 
of passing a true judgment of a particular book, if he 
be not well acquainted with the subject of which it 
treats, and the manner in which it is written, be it verse 
or prose : or if he hath not had an opportunity or leisure 
to look sufficiently into the writing itself. 

Again, though lie be ever so capable of judging on all 
other accounts, by the knowledge of the subject, anil 
of the book itself, yet you are to consider also whether 
there be any thing in the author, in his manner, in his 
language, in his opinions, and his particular party, 
which may warp the sentiments of him that judgeth, to 
think well or ill of the treatise, and to pass too favorable 
or too severe a sentence concerning it. 

1 f you find that he is either an unfit judge because of 
his ignorance or because of his prejudices, his judgment 
of that book should go for nothing. 



CHAPTER VI. 



AND LEAKNEES. 



I. There arc few persons of so penetrating a genius, 
and so just a judgment, as to be capable of learning the 



BY TEACHERS. 71 

arts and sciences without the assistance of teachers. 
There is scarce any science so safely and so speedily 
learned, even by the noblest genius and the best books, 
without a tutor. His assistance is absolutely necessary 
for most persons, and it is very useful for all beginners. 
Books are a sort of dumb teachers ; they point out the 
way to learning ; but if we labor under any doubt or 
mistake, they can not answer sudden questions, or ex- 
plain present doubts and difficulties : this is properly 
the work of a living instructor. 

II. There are very few tutors who are sufficiently 
furnished with such universal learning, as to sustain all 
1 he parts and provinces of instruction. The sciences arc 
numerous, and many of them lie far wide of each other ; 
and it is best to enjoy the instructions of two or three 
tutors at least, in order to run through the whole ency- 
clopaedia, or circle of sciences, where it may be obtained ; 
then we may expect that each will teach the few parts 
of learning which are committed to his care in greater 
perfection. But where this advantage can not be had 
with convenience, one great man must supply the place 
of two or three common instructors. 

III. It is not sufficient that instructors be compe- 
tently skillful in those sciences which they profess and 
teach ; but they should have skill also in the art or 
method of teaching, and patience in the practice of it. 

It is a great unhappiness indeed, when persons by a 
spirit of party, or faction, or interest, or by purchase, 
are set up for tutors, who have neither due knowledge 
of science, nor skill in the way of communication. And, 
alas ! there are others who, with all their ignorance and 
insufficiency, have self-admiration and effrontery enough 
to set up themselves ; and the poor pupils fare accord- 
ingly and giow lean in their understandings. 

And let it be observed also, there are some very 



72 OF LIVING INSTRUCTIONS 

learned men, who know much themselves, but have not 
the talent of communicating their own knowledge ; or 
else they are lazy and will take no pains at it. Either 
they have an obscure and perplexed way of talking, or 
they show their learning uselessly and make a long 
periphrasis on every word of the book they explain, or 
they can not condescend to young beginners, or they run 
presently into the elevated parts of the science, because 
it gives themselves greater pleasure, or they are soon 
angry and impatient, and can not bear with a few im- 
pertinent questions of a young, inquisitive, and sprightly 
genius; or else they skim over a science in a very slight 
and superficial survey, and never lead their disciples 
into the depths of it. 

IV. A good tutor should have characters and qualifi- 
cations very different from all these. He is such a one 
as both can and will apply himself with diligence and 
concern, and indefatigable patience, to effect what he 
undertakes ; to teach his disciples and see that they 
learn ; to adapt his way and method, as near as may 
be, to the various dispositions, as well as to the capac- 
ities of those whom he instructs, and to inquire often 
into their progress and improvement. 

And he should take particular care of his own tem- 
per and conduct, that there be nothing in him or about 
him which may be of ill example ; nothing that may 
savor of a haughty temper, or a mean and sordid spirit ; 
nothing that may expose him to the aversion or to the 
contempt of his scholars, or create a prejudice in their 
minds against him and his instructions : but, if possible, 
lie should have so much of a natural candor and sweet- 
ness mixed with all the improvements of learning, as 
might convey knowledge into the minds of his disciples 
with a sort of gentle insinuation and sovereign delight, 
and may tempt them into the highest improvements of 



BY TEACHERS. 73 

their reason by a resistless and insensible force. But I 
shall have occasion to say more on this subject, when I 
come to speak more directly of the methods of the com- 
munication of knowledge. 

V. The learner should attend with constancy and 
care on all the instructions of his tutor ; and if he hap- 
pens to be at any time unavoidably hindered, he must 
endeavor to retrieve the loss by double industry for time 
to come. He should always recollect and review his 
lectures, read over some other author or authors upon 
the same subject, confer upon it with his instructor, or 
with his associates, and write down the clearest result 
of his present thoughts, reasonings, and inquiries, which 
he may have recourse to hereafter, either to re-examine 
them and apply them to proper use, or to improve them 
farther to his own advantage. 

VI. A student should never satisfy himself with bare 
attendance on the lectures of his tutor, unless he clearly 
takes up his sense and meaning, and understands the 
things which he teaches. A young disciple should 
behave himself so well as to gain the affection and ear 
of his instructor, that upon every occasion he may, with 
the utmost freedom, ask questions, and talk over his 
own sentiments, his doubts, and difficulties with him, 
and in an humble and modest manner desire the solution 
of them. 

VII. Let the learner endeavor to maintain an 
honorable opinion of his instructor, and needfully 
listen to his instructions, as one willing to be led by a 
more experienced guide ; and though he is not bound to 
fall in with every sentiment of his tutor, yet he should 
so far comply with him as to resolve upon a just consid- 
eration of the matter, and try and examine it thoroughly 
with an Inmost heart, before he presume to determine 
against him : and then it should be done with great 



<4 OF LIVING raSTRUCTIONS. 

modesty, with an humble jealousy of himself, and ap- 
parent unwillingness to differ from his tutor, if the force 
of argument and truth did not constrain him. 

VIII. It is a frequent and growing folly in our age, 
that pert young disciples soon fancy themselves 
wiser than those who teach them : at the first view, 
or upon a very little thought, they can discern the insig- 
nificancy, weakness, and mistake of what their teacher 
asserts. The youth of our day, by an early petulancy, 
and pretended liberty of thinking for themselves, dare 
reject at once, and that with a sort of scorn, all those 
sentiments and doctrines which their teachers have de- 
termined, perhaps, after long and repeated considera- 
tion, after years of mature study, careful observation, 
and much prudent experience. 

IX. It is true teachers and masters are not infallible, 
nor are they always in the right ; and it must be ac- 
knowledged, it is a matter of some difficulty for 
younger minds to maintain a just and solemn vener- 
ation for the authority and advice of their parents and 
the instructions of their tutors, and yet at the same 
time to secure to themselves a just freedom in their 
own thoughts. We are sometimes too ready to imbibe 
all their sentiments without examination, if we rever- 
ence and love them ; or, on the other hand, if we take 
all freedom to contest their opinions, we are sometimes 
tempted to cast off that love and reverence for their per- 
sons which God and nature dictate. Youth is ever in 
danger of these two extremes. 

X. But I think I may safely conclude thus : Though 
the authority of a teacher must not absolutely determine 
the judgment of his pupil, yet young and raw and un- 
experienced learners should pay all proper deference 
that can be to the instructions of their parents and 
teachers, short of absolute submission to their dictates. 



OF KNOWING THE SENSE. 75 

Yet still we must maintain this, that they should never 
receive any opinion into their assent, whether it be 
conformable <>r contrary to the tutor's mind, 'without 
sufficient evidence of it first given to their own reason- 
ing powers. 



CHAPTER VII. 



OF INQUIRING INTO THE SENSE AND MEANING OF ANY 
WRITER OR SPEAKER, AND ESPECIALLY THE SENSE OF 
THE SACRED WRITINGS. 

It is a great unhappiness that there is such an ambi- 
guity in words and forms of speech, that the same sen- 
tence may be drawn into different significations : whereby 
it comes to pass, that it is difficult sometimes for the 
reader exactly to hit upon the ideas which the writer or 
speaker had in his mind. Some of the best rules to 
direct us herein are such as these :• 

I. Be well acquainted with the tongue itself, or 
language, wherein the author's mind is expressed. Learn 
not only the true meaning of each word, but the sense 
which those words obtain when placed in such a par- 
ticular situation and order. Acquaint yourself with the 
peculiar power and emphasis of the several modes of 
speech, and the various idioms of the tongue. The sec- 
ondary ideas which custom has superadded to many 
words should also be known, as well as the particular 
and primary meaning of them, if we would understand 
any writer. 

II. Consider the signification of those words and 
phrases, more especially in the same nation, or near the 
same age in which that writer lived, and in what sense 
they are used by authors of the same nation, opinion, 
sect, party, etc. 



76 OF KNOWING THE SENSE 

III. Compare the words and phrases in one place 
of an author, with the same or kindred words and 
pi i rases generally called parallel places ; and as one ex- 
plains another which is like it, so sometimes a contrary 
expression will explain its contrary. 

Remember always that a writer best interprets him- 
self; as we believe the Holy Spirit to be the supreme 
agent in the writings of the Old Testament and the 
New, he can best explain himself. Hence the theological 
rule arises, that Scripture is the best interpreter of 
Scripture ; and therefore concordances, which show us 
parallel places, are of excellent use for interpretation. 

IV. Consider the subject oti which the author is 
treating, and by comparing other places where he 
treats of the same subject, you may learn his sense in 
the place which you are reading, though some of the 
terms which he uses in those two places may be very 
different. 

And on the other hand, if the author uses the same 
words where the subject of which he treats is not just 
the same, you can not learn his sense by comparing those 
two places, though the mere words may seem to agree : 
for some authors, when they are treating of a quite 
different subject, may use perhaps the same words in a 
very different sense. 

V. Observe the scope and design of the writer; 
inquire into his aim and end in that book, or section, or 
paragraph, which will help to explain particular sen- 
tences; for we suppose a wise and judicious writer di- 
rects his expressions generally toward his designed end. 

VI. When an author speaks of any subject occa- 
sionally, let his sense be explained by those places where 
he treats of it distinctly ami professedly: where he 
speaks of any subject in mystical or metaphorical 
terms, explain them by other places where he treats of 



OF WRITERS oil SPEAKERS. 77 

the same subjects in terms that are plain and literal: 
where he speaks in an oratorical, affecting, or persuasive 
way, let this bo explained by other places where he 
treats of the same theme in a doctrinal or instructive 
way : where the author speaks more strictly and partic- 
ularly on any theme, it will explain the more loose and 
general expressions: where he treats more largely, it 
will explain the shorter hints and brief intimations ; and 
wheresoever he writes more obscurely, search out some 
more perspicuous passages in the same writer, by w T hich 
to determine the sense of that obscure language. 

VII. Consider not only the person who is introduced 
speaking, but the persons to whom the speech is 
directed, the circumstances of time and place, the tem- 
per and spirit of the speaker, as w r ell as the temper and 
spirit of the hearers : in order to interpret Scripture 
well, there needs a good acquaintance with the Jewish 
customs, some knowledge of the ancient Eoman and 
Greek times and manners, which sometimes strike a 
strange and surprising light upon passages which were 
before very obscure. 

VIII. In particular propositions, the sense of an 
author may sometimes be known by the inferences 
which he draws from them ; and all those senses may 
be excluded wilich will not allow of that inference. 

Note. This rule indeed is not always certain, in read- 
ing and interpreting human authors, because they may 
mistake in drawing their inferences : but in explaining 
Scripture it is a sure rule ; for the sacred and inspired 
writers always make just inferences from their own 
propositions. Yet even in them, we must take heed we 
do not mistake an allusion for an inference, which is 
many times introduced almost in the same manner. 

IX. If it be a matter of controversy, the true sense 
of the author is sometimes known by the objections 



78 OF KNOWING THE SENSE. 

that are brought against it. So we may be well assured, 
(he apostle speaks against our "justification in the sight 
of God, by our own works of holiness," in the od, 4th, 
and 5th chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, because 
of the objection brought against him in the beginning 
of the 6th chapter, viz. : "What shall we say then 3 shall 
Ave continue in sin that grace may abound?" which 
objection could never have been raised, if he had 
been proving our justification by our own works of 
righteousness. 

X. In matters of dispute, take heed of warping the 
sense of the writer to your own opinion, by any latent 
prejudices of self-love and party spirit. It is this reign- 
ing principle of prejudice and party, that has given 
such a variety of senses both to the sacred writers and 
others, which would never have come into the mind of 
the reader if he had labored under some such prepos- 
sessions. 

XI. For the same reason take heed of the prejudices 
of passion, malice, envy, pride, or opposition to an au- 
thor, whereby you may be easily tempted to put a false 
and invidious sense upon his words. Lay aside there- 
fore a carping spirit, and read even an adversary with 
attention and diligence, w r ith an honest design to find 
out his true meaning ; do not snatch at little lapses and 
appearances of mistake, in opposition to his declared 
and avowed meaning ; nor impute any sense or opinion 
to him which he denies to be his opinion, unless it be 
proved by the most plain and express language. 

Lastly, remember that you treat every author, writer, 
or speaker, just as you yourselves would be willing to 
be treated by others. 



OK CONVERSATION. 79 



CHAPTEE VII L 

RULES OF [IMPROVEMENT BY CONVERSATION. 

I. If we would improve our minds by conversation, 
it is a great happiness to be acquainted with persons 
wiser than ourselves. It is a piece of useful advice 
therefore to get the favor of their conversation fre- 
quently, as far as circumstances will allow : and if they 
happen to be a little reserved, use all obliging methods 
to draw out of them what may increase your own 
knowledge. 

II. Whatsoever company you are in, waste not the 
time in trifle and impertinence. If you spend some 
hours amongst children, talk with them according to 
their capacity ; mark the young buddings of infant rea- 
son ; observe the different motions and distinct workings 
of the animal and the mind, as far as you can discern 
them ; take notice by what degrees the little creature 
grows up to the use of his reasoning powers, and what 
early prejudices beset and endanger his understanding. 
By this means you will learn to address yourself to 
children for their benefit, and perhaps you may derive 
some useful philosophemes or theorems for your own 
entertainment. 

III. If you happen to be in company with a merchant 
or a sailor, a farmer or a mechanic, a milk-maid or a 
spinster, lead them into a discourse of the matters 
of their own peculiar province or profession ; for 
every one knows, or should know, their own business 
best. In this sense a common mechanic is wiser than the 
philosopher. By this means you may gain some im- 
provement in knowledge from every one you meet. 



80 OF CONVERSATION. 

IV. Confine not yourself always to one sort of com- 
pany, or to persons of the same party or opinion, either 
in matters of learning, religion, or civil life, lest, if you 
should happen to be nursed up or educated in early 
mistake, you should be confirmed and established in the 
same mistake, by conversing only with persons of the 
same sentiments. A free and general conversation with 
men of very various countries and of different parties, 
opinions, and practices, so far as it may be done safely, 
is of excellent use to undeceive us in many wrong 
judgments which we may have framed, and to lead us 
into j uster thoughts. 

Tt is said, when tho king of Biam, near China, first con- 
versed with some European merchants, who sought the favor 
of trading on his coast, he inquired of them some of the com- 
mon appearances of summer and winter in their country ; and 
when they told him of water growing so hard in their rivers 
that men and horses and laden carriages passed over it, and 
that rain sometimes fell down as white and light as feathers, 
and sometimes almost as hard as stones, he would not believe 
a syllable they said ; for ice, snow, and hail, were names and 
things utterly unknown to him and to his subjects in that hot 
climate ; he renounced all traffic with such shameful liars, and 
would not suiter them to trade with his people. 

V. In mixed company, among acquaintances and 
strangers endeavor to learn something from all. Be 
swift to hear ; but be cautious of your tongue, lest you 
betray your ignorance, and perhaps offend some of those 
who are present too. The Scripture severely censures 
those who speak evil of the things they know not. Ac- 
quaint yourself therefore sometimes with persons and 
parties which are far distant from your common life and 
customs: this is away whereby you may form a wiser 
opinion of men and things. Prove all things, and hold 
fast that which is good, is a divine rule, and it comes 
from the Father of light and truth. Hut young persons 
should practice it indeed with due limitation, and under 
the eye of their elders. 



OF CONVERSATION. 81 

VI. Be not frighted nor provoked at opinions dif- 
ferent from your own. Some persons are so confident 
they are in the right, that they will not come within the 
hearing of any notions but their own: they canton out 
to themselves a little province in the intellectual world, 
where they fancy the light shines ; and all the rest is in 
darkness. They never venture into the ocean of knowl- 
edge, nor survey the riches of other minds, which are 
as solid and as useful, and perhaps are finer gold than 
what they ever possessed. Let not men imagine there 
is no certain truth but in the sciences which they study, 
and amongst that party in which they were born and 
educated. 

VII. Believe that it is possible to learn something 
from persons much below yourself. We are all short- 
sighted creatures ; our views are also narrow and limited ; 
we often see but one side of a matter, and do not extend 
our sight far and wide enough to reach every thing that 
has a connection with the thing we talk of; we see but 
in part, and know but in part ; therefore it is no wonder 
we form not right conclusions ; because we do not survey 
the whole of any subject or argument. Even the proud- 
est admirer of his own parts might find it useful to 
consult with others, though of inferior capacity and 
penetration. We have a different prospect of the same 
thing (if I may so speak) according to the different posi- 
tions of our understanding towards it : a weaker man 
may sometimes light on notions which have escaped a 
wiser, and which the wiser man might make a happy 
use of, if he woulcLcondescend to take notion of them. 

VIII. It is of considerable advantage, when we are 
pursuing any difficult point of knowldege, to have a 
society of ingenious correspondents at hand, to whom 
we may propose it : for every man has something of a 
different genius and a various turn of mind, whereby 



82 OF CONVERSATION. 

the subject proposed will be shown in all its lights, it 
will be represented in all its forms, and every side of 
it be turned to view, that a juster judgment may be 
framed. 

IX. To make conversation more valuable and useful, 
whether it be in a designed or accidental visit, among 
persons of the same or of different sexes, after the 
necessary salutations are finished, and the stream of com- 
mon talk begins to hesitate, or runs flat and low, let 
some ono person take a book which may be agreeable 
to the whole company, and by common consent let him 
read in it ten lines, or a paragraph or two, or a few 
pages, till some word or sentence gives an occasion for 
any of the company to offer a thought or two relating to 
that subject : interruption of the reader should be no 
blame ; for conversation is the business : whether it be to 
confirm what the author says, or to improve it, to enlarge 
upon or to correct it, to object against it, or to ask any 
question that is akin to it; and let every one that 
please add their opinion and promote the conver- 
sation. 

Observe this rule in general, whensoever it lies in your 
power to lead the conversation, let it be directed to 
some profitable point of knowledge or practice, so far 
as may be done with decency ; and let not the discourse 
and the hours be suffered to run loose without aim or 
design: and when a subject is started, pass not hastily 
to another, before you have brought the present theme 
of discourse to some tolerable issue, or a joint consent to 
drop it. 

X. Attend with sincere diligence, while any one of 
the company is declaring his sense <>f the question pro- 
posed : hear the argument with patience, though it 
differ ever so much from your sentiments, for you your- 
self are very desirous to be heard with patience by 



OF CONVERSATION. 83 

others who differ from you. Let not your thoughts be 
active and busy all the while to find out something to 
contradict, and by what means to oppose tho speaker, 
especially in matters which are not brought to an issue. 
This is a frequent and unhappy temper and practice. 
You should rather be intent and solicitous to take up the 
mind and meaning of the speaker, zealous to seize and 
approve all that is true in his discourse ; nor yet should 
you want courage to oppose where it is necessary j but 
let your modesty and patience, and a friendly temper, 
be as conspicuous as your zeal. 

XI. When a man speaks with much freedom and 
ease, and gives his opinion in the plainest language of 
common sense, do not presently imagine you shall 
gain nothing by his company. Sometimes you will 
find a person who, in his conversation or his writings, 
delivers his thoughts in so plain, so easy, so familiar, 
and perspicuous a manner, that you both understand 
and assent to every thing he saith, as fast as you read or 
hear it : hereupon some hearers have been ready to con- 
clude in haste, Surely this man saith none but common 
things ; I knew as much before, or, I would have said all 
this myself. This is a frequent mistake. 

Pellucido was a very great genius ; when he spoke in the 
senate, he was wont to convey his ideas in so simple and happy 
a manner as to instruct and convince every hearer, and to en- 
force the conviction through the whole illustrious assembly ; 
and that with so much evidence, that you would have been 
ready to wonder, that every one who spoke had not said the 
same things : but Pellucido was the only man that could do 
it ; the only speaker who had attained this art and honor. 

XII. If any thing seem dark in the discourse of 
your companion, so that you have not a clear idea of 
what is spoken, endeavor to obtain a clearer conception 
of it by a decent manner of inquiry. Do not charge the 
speaker with obscurity, either in his sense or his Avoids, 



81 OF CONVERSATION. 

but entreat his favor to relieve your own want of 
penetration, or to add an enlightening word or two, that 
you may take up his whole meaning. 

If difficulties arise in your mind, and constrain your 
dissent to the things spoken, represent what objection 
some persons would be ready to make against the senti- 
ments of the speaker, without telling him you oppose. 
This manner of address carries something more modest 
and obliging in it, than to appear to raise objections of 
your own by way of contradiction to him that spoke. 

XIII. When you are forced to differ from him who 
delivers his sense on any point, yet agree as far as you 
can, and represent how far you agree ; and if there be 
any room for it, explain the words of the speaker in 
such a sense to which you can in general assent, and so 
agree with him, or at least, by a small addition or alter- 
ation of his sentiments, show your own sense of things. 
It is the practice and delight of a candid hearer, to make 
it appear how unwilling he is to differ from him that 
speaks. Let the speaker know that it is nothing but 
truth constrains you to oppose him ; and let that dif- 
ference be always expressed in few, and civil, and chosen 
words, such as may give the least offense. 

And be careful always to take Solomon's rule with 
you, and let your correspondent fairly finish his speech 
before you reply; "for he that answereth a matter 
before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." 
Prov. 18 : 13. 

A little watchfulness, care, and practice in younger 
life, will render all these things more easy, familiar, and 
natural to you, and will grow into habit. 

XIV. As you should carry about with you a constant 
and sincere sense of your own ignorance, so you should 
not be afraid nor ashamed to confess this ignorance, 
by taking all proper opportunities to ask and inquire for 



OF CONVERSATION. »0 

farther information; whether it be the meaning of a 
word, the nature of a thing, the reason of a proposition, 

the custom of a nation, etc., never remaining in ignor- 
ance for want of asking. 

Many a person had arrived at some considerable 
degree of knowledge, if he had not been full of self-con- 
tent, and imagined that he had known enough already, 
or else was ashamed to let others know that he was 
unacquainted with it. God and man are ready to teach 
the meek, the humble, and the ignorant; but he that 
fancies himself to know any particular subject well, or 
that will not venture to ask a question about it, such a 
one will not put himself into the way of improvement 
by inquiry and diligence. A fool may be ' ' wiser in his 
own conceit than ten men who can render a reason;" 
and such a one is very likely to be an everlasting fool ; 
and perhaps also it is a silly shame renders his folly 
incurable. 

Stultorum incurata pudor nialus ulcera celat. 

—Hor. Epist. 16. Lib. 1. 

In English thus : 

If fools have ulcers, and their pride conceal them, 
They must have ulcers still, for none can heal them. 

XV. Be not too forward, especially in the younger 
part of life, to determine any question in company with 
an infallible and peremptory sentence, nor speak with 
assuming airs, and with a decisive tone of voice. A 
young man, in the presence of his elders, should 
rather hear and attend, and weigh the arguments 
which are brought for the proof or refutation of any 
doubtful proposition ; and when it is your turn to speak, 
propose your thoughts rather in the way of inquiry. By 
this means your mind will be kept in a fitter temper to 
receive truth, and you will be more ready to correct and 
improve your own sentiments, where you have not been 



8$ or conversation: 

too positive in affirming them. But if you have magis- 
terially decided the point, you will find a secret unwil- 
lingness to retract, though you should feel an inward 
conviction that you were in the wrong. 

XVI. It is granted, indeed, that a season may happen, 
when some bold pretender to science may assume 
haughty and positive airs, to assort and vindicate a 
gross and dangerous error, or to renounce and vilify 
some very important truth : and if he has a popular 
talent of talking, and there be no remonstrance made 
against him, the company may be tempted too easily to 
give their assent to the imprudence and infallibility of 
the presumer. They may imagine a proposition so much 
vilified can never be hue, and that a doctrine which is 
so boldly censured and renounced can never be defended. 
Weak minds are too ready to persuade themselves, that 
a man would never talk with so much assurance unless 
he were certainly in the right, and could well maintain 
and prove what he said. By this means truth itself is 
in danger of being betrayed or lost, if there be no oppo 
sition made to such a pretending talker. 

Now in such a case, even a wise and a modest 
man may assume airs too, and repel insolence witli its 
own weapons. There is a time, as Solomon, the wisest 
of men, teaches us, " when a fool should be answered 
according to his folly, lost he be wise in his own con- 
ceit," and lest others too easily yield up their faith and 
reason to his imperious dictates. Courage and posi- 
tivil y are never more necessary than on such an occasion. 
But it is good to join some argument with them of real 
and convincing force, and let it be strongly pronounced 
too. 

"When such a resistance is made, you shall find some 
of those bold talkers will draw in their horns, when their 
fierce and feeble pushes against truth and reason are 



OF CONVERSATION. 87 

repelled with pushing and confidence. It is pily indeed 
that truth should ever need such sort of defenses ; but 
we know that a triumphant assurance hath sometimes 
supported gross falsehoods, and a whole company have 
been captivated to error by this means, till some man 
with equal assurance has rescued them. It is pity that 
any momentous point of doctrine should happen to fall 
under such reproaches, and require such a mode of vin- 
dication : though if I happen to hear it, I ought not to 
turn my back and to sneak off in silence, and leave the 
truth to lie baffled, bleeding, and slain. . Yet I must 
confess, I should be glad to have no occasion ever given 
me to fight with any man at this sort of weapons, even 
though I should be so happy as to silence his insolence 
and to obtain an evident victory. 

XVII. Benotfondof disputing every thing pro and 
con, nor indulge yourself to show your talent of 
attacking and defending. A logic which teaches nothing 
else is little worth. This temper and practice will lead 
you just so far out of the way of knowledge, and divert 
your honest inquiry after the truth which is debated or 
sought. In set disputes, every little straw is often laid 
hold on to support our own cause ; every thing that can. 
be drawn in any w r ay to give color to our argument is 
advanced, and that perhaps with vanity and ostentation. 
This puts the mind out of a proper posture to seek and 
receive the truth. 

XVIII. Do not bring a warm party spirit into a 
free conversation which is designed for mutual im- 
provement in the search of truth. Take heed of allow- 
ing yourself in those self-satisfied assurances which keep 
the doors of the understanding barred fast against the 
admission of any new sentiments. Let your soul be 
ever ready to hearken to farther discoveries, from a con- 
stant and ruling consciousness of our present fallible and 



88 OF CONVERSATION. 

imperfect state; and make it appear to your friends, that 
it is no hard task to you to learn and pronounce those 
little words, "I was mistaken," how hard soever it be 
for the bulk of mankind to pronounce them. 

XIX. As you may sometimes raise inquiries for your 
own instruction and improvement, and draw out the 
learning, wisdom, and fine sentiments of your friends, 
who perhaps may be too reserved or modest; so, at 
other times, if you perceive a person unskillful in the 
matter of debate, you may, by questions aptly pro- 
posed in the Socratic method, lead him into a clearer 
knowledge of the subject: then you become his in- 
structor, in such a manner as may not appear to make 
yourself his superior. 

XX. Take heed of affecting always to shine in 
company above the rest, and to display the riches of 
your own understanding or your oratory, as though you 
would render yourself admirable to all that are present. 
This is seldom well taken in polite company ; much less 
should you see such forms of speech as should insinuate 
the ignorance or dullness of those with whom you con- 
verse. 

XXI. Though you should not affect to flourish in a 
copious harangue and a diffusive style in company, yet 
neither should you rudely interrupt and reproach him 
that happens to use it : but when he has done speaking, 
reduce his sentiments into a more contracted form ; not 
with a show of correcting, but as one who is doubtful 
whether you hit ui>on his true sense or not. Thus mat- 
ters may be brought more easily from a wild confusion 
into a single point, questions may be sooner determined 
and difficulties more easily removed. 

XXII. Be not so ready to charge ignorance, prejudice, 
and mistake upon others, as you are to suspect yourself 
of it : and in order to show how free you are from preju- 



OF CONVERSATION. 89 

dices, learn to bear contradiction with patience ; let it 
be easy to you to hear your own opinion strongly op- 
posed, especially in matters which are doubtful and dis- 
putable, amongst men of sobriety and virtue. Give a 
patient hearing to arguments on all sides ; otherwise you 
give the company occasion to suspect that it is not the 
evidence of truth has led you into this opinion, but some 
lazy anticipation of judgment, some beloved presumption, 
some long and rash possession of a party scheme, in 
which you desire to rest undisturbed. If your assent has 
been established upon just and sufficient grounds, why 
should you be afraid to let the truth be put to the trial 
of argument? 

XXIII. Banish utterly out of all conversation, and 
especially out of all learned and intellectual conference, 
every thing that tends to provoke passion or raise a 
fire in the blood. Let no sharp language, no noisy ex- 
clamations, no sarcasms, no biting jests be heard among 
you ; no perverse or invidious consequences be drawn 
from each other's opinions, and imputed to the person : 
let there be no willful perversion of an other's meaning ; 
no sudden seizure of a lapsed syllable to play upon it, 
nor any abused construction of an innocent mistake : 
suffer not your tongue to* insult a modest opponent that 
begins to yield ; let there be no crowing and triumph, 
even where there is evident victory on your side. All 
these things are enemies to friendship, and the ruin of 
free conversation. The impartial search of truth requires 
all calmness and serenity, all temper and candor ; mutual 
instructions can never be attained in the midst of pas- 
sion, pride, and clamor, unless we suppose, in the midst 
of such a scene, there is a loud and penetrating lecture 
read by both sides, on the folly and shameful infirmities 
of human nature. 

XXIV. Whensoever, therefore, any unhappy word 



00 OF CONVERSATION. 

shall arise in company, that might give yon a reasonable 
disgust, quash the rising resentment, bo il ever so just, 
and command your soul and your tongue into silence, 
lest you cancel the hopes of all improvement for that 
hour, and transform the learned conversation into the 
mean and vulgar form of reproaches and railing. The man 
who began to break the peace in such a society, will fall 
under the shame and conviction of such a silent reproof, 
if he has any thing ingenuous about him. If this should 
not be sufficient, let a grave admonition, or a soft and 
gentle turn of wit, with an air of pleasantly, give the 
warm disputer an occasion to stop the progress of his in- 
decent fire ; if not, to retract the indecency and quench 
the flame. 

XXY. Inure yourself to a candid and obliging man- 
ner in your conversation, and acquire the art of pleasing 
address, even when you teach, as well as when you learn : 
and when you oppose, as well as when you assert or 
prove. This degree of politeness is not to be attained 
without a diligent attention to such kind of directions as 
are here laid down, and a frequent exercise and practice 
of them. 

XXVI. If you would know what sort of companions 
you should select for the cultivation and advantage of 
the mind, the general rule is, choose such as, by their 
brightness of parts, and their diligence in study, or by 
their superior advancement in learning, or peculiar ex- 
cellence in any art, science, or accomplishment, divine 
or human, may be capable of administering to your 
improvement; and be sure to maintain and keep some 
due regard to their moral character always, lest while 
you wander in quest of intellectual gain you fall into the 
contagion of irreligion and vice. No wise man can ven- 
ture into a house infected with the plague, in order to 
see the finest collections of any virtuoso in Europe. 



OF CONVERSATION. <)l 

XXV: I. Xoris it every sober person of your acquaint- 
ance, ao, nor every man of bright parts, or rich in 
learning, that is lit to engage in free conversation for the 
inquiry after truth. Let a person have ever so illusl rious 

talents, yet he is not a proper associate for such a pur- 
pose, if he lie under any of the following infirmities : 

1. If he be exceedingly reserved, and hath either no in- 
clination to discourse, or no tolerable capacity of speech 
and language for the communication of his sentiments. 

2. If he be haughty and proud of his knowledge, im- 
perious in his airs, and always fond of imposing his 
sentiments on all the company. 

3. If he be positive and dogmatical in his own opinions, 
and will dispute to the end ; if he will resist the brightest 
evidence of truth, rather than suffer himself to be over- 
come, or yield to the plainest and strongest reasonings. 

4. If he be one who always affects to outshine all the com- 
pany, and delights to hear himself talk and flourish upon 
a subject, and make long harangues, while the rest must 
all be silent and attentive. 

5. If he be a person of whiffling and unsteady turn of 
mind, who can not keep close to a point of controversy, 
but wanders from it perpetually, and is always solicitous 
to say something, whether it be pertinent to the question 
or not. 

G. If he be fretful and peevish, and given to resentment 
upon all occasions : if he knows not how to bear contra- 
diction, or is ready to take things in a wrong sense ; if 
he is swift to feel a supposed offense, or to imagine him- 
self affronted, and then break out into a sudden passion, 
or retain silent and sullen wrath. 

7. If he affects wit on cdl occasions, and is full of his con- 
ceits and puns, quirks or quibbles, jests and repartees ; 
these may agreeably entertain and animate an hour of 
mirth, but they have no place in the search after truth. 



92 OF CONVERSATICfN. 

8. If he carry always about him a sort of craft, and cun- 
ning, and disguise, and act rather like a spy than, a friend. 
Have a care of such a one as will make an ill use of free- 
dom in conversation, and immediately charge heresy 
upon you, when you happen to differ from those senti- 
ments which authority or custom has established. 

In short, you should avoid the man, in such select con- 
versation, who practices any thing that is unbecoming 
the character of a sincere, free, and open searcher after 
truth. 

Now, though you may pay all the relative duties of 
life to persons of these unhappy qualifications, and treat 
them with decency and love, so far as religion and 
humanity oblige you, yet take care of entering into a free 
debate on matters of truth or falsehood in their company, 
and especially about the principles of religion. I .con- 
fess, if a person of such a temper happens to judge and 
talk well on such a subject, you may hear him with at- 
tention, and derive what proft you can from his dis- 
course ; but he is by no means to be chosen for a free 
conference in matters of learning and knowledge. 

XXVIII. While I would persuade you to beware of 
such persons and abstain from too much freedom of dis- 
course amongst them, it is very natural to infer that you 
should watch against the -working of these evil qual- 
ities in your own breast, if you happen to be tainted 
with any of them yourself. Men of learning and in- 
genuity will justly avoid your acquaintance, when they 
find such an unhappy and unsocial temper prevailing in 
you. 

XXIX. To conclude, when you retire from com- 
pany, then converse with yourself in solitude, and 
inquire what you have learned for the improvement of 
your understanding, or for the rectifying your inclina- 
tions, for the increase of your virtues, or the ameliorat- 



OF CONVERSATION. 93 

ing your conduct and behavior in any future parts of 
Life. If you have seen some of your company candid, 
modest, humble in their manner, wise and sagacious, 
just and pious in their sentiments, polite and graceful, as 
well as clear and strong in their expression, and univer- 
sally acceptable and lovely in their behavior, endeavor 
to impress the idea of all these upon your memory, and 
treasure them up for your imitation. 

XXX. If the laws of reason, decency, and civility, have 
not been well observed amongst your associates, take 
notice of those defects for your own improvement: 
and from every occurrence of this kind remark something 
to imitate or to avoid, in elegant, polite, and useful con- 
versation. Perhaps you will find that some persons 
present have really displeased the company, by an ex- 
cessive and too visible an affectation to please, i. e., by 
giving loose to servile flattery or promiscuous praise; 
while others were as ready to oppose and contradict 
every thing that was said. Some have deserved just cen- 
sure for a morose and affected taciturnity ; and others 
have been anxious and careful lest their silence should 
be interpreted a want of sense, and therefore they have 
ventured to make speeches, though they had nothing to 
say which was worth hearing. Perhaps you will observe 
that one was ingenious in his thoughts and bright in his 
language, but he was so topful of himself that he let it 
spill on all the company ; that he spoke well, indeed, but 
that he spoke too long, and did not allow equal liberty 
or time to his associates. You will remark that another 
was full charged, to let out his words before his friend 
had done speaking, or impatient of the least opposition 
to any thing he said. You will remember that some per- 
sons have talked at large, and with great confidence, of 
things which they understood not, and others counted 
every thing tedious and intolerable that was spoken upon 



94 OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 

subjects out of their sphere, and they would fain confine 
the conference entirely within the limits of their own 
narrow knowledge and study. The errors of conver- 
sation are almost infinite. 

XXXI. By a review of such irregularities as these, 
you may learn to avoid those follies and pieces of ill 
conduct which spoil good conversation, or make it less 
agreeable and less useful ; and by degrees you will ac- 
quire that delightful and easy manner of address and 
behavior in all useful correspondences, which may 
render your company every where desired and be- 
loved; and at the same time, among the best of your 
companions, you may make the highest improvement, in 
your own intellectual acquisitions. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 

I. Under the general head of conversation for the 
improvement of the mind, we may rank the practice of 
disputing ; that is, when two or more persons appear 
to maintain different sentiments, and defend their own or 
oppose the other's opinion, in alternate discourse, by 
some methods of argument. 

II. As these disputes often arise in good earnest, where 
the two contenders do really believe the different proposi- 
tions which they support ; so sometimes they are ap- 
pointed as mere trials of skill in academies or schools 
by the students ; sometimes they are practices, and that 
with apparent fervor, in courts of judicature by lawyers, 
in order to gain the fees of their different clients, while 
both sides perhaps are really of the same sentiment with 
regard to the cause which is tried. 



OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 1)5 

IIT. In common conversation disputes are often 
managed without any forms of regularity or order, 
and they turn to good or evil purposes, chiefly according 
to the temper of disputants. They may sometimes be 
successful to search out truth, sometimes effectual to 
maintain truth and convince the mistaken; but at other 
times a dispute is a mere scene of battle in order to vic- 
tory and vain triumph. 

IV. There are some few general rules which should 
be observed in all debates whatsoever, if we would find 
out truth by them, or convince a friend of his error, even 
though they be not managed according to any settled 
forms of disputation ; and as there are almost as many 
opinions and judgments of things as there are persons, 
so when several persons happen to meet and confer to- 
gether upon any subject, they are ready to declare their 
different sentiments, and support them by such reason- 
ings as they are capable of. This is called debating or 
disputing, as is above described. 

Y. When persons begin a debate they should al- 
ways take care that they are agreed in some general 
principles or propositions, which either more nearly or 
remotely affect the question in hand; for otherwise they 
have no foundation or hope of convincing each other; 
they must have some common ground to stand upon, 
while they maintain the contest. 

When they find they agree in some remote proposi- 
tions, then let them search farther, and inquire how 
near they approach to each other's sentiments, and 
whatsoever propositions they agree in, let these lay a 
foundation for the mutual hope of conviction. Hereby 
you will be prevented from running at every turn to 
some original and remote propositions and axioms, which 
practice both entangles and prolongs dispute. As for 
instance, if there was a debate proposed betwixt a Prot- 



9G OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 

estant and a Papist, whether there be such a place as 
Purgatory? Let them remember that they both agree in 
this point, that Christ has made satisfaction or atone- 
ment for sin, and upon this ground let them stand, while 
they search out the controverted doctrine of Purgatory 
by way of conference or debate. 

VI. The question should be cleared from all doubt- 
ful terms and needless additions; and all things that be- 
long to the question should be expressed in plain and in- 
telligible language. This is so necessary a thing, that 
without it men will be exposed to such sort of ridiculous 
contests as were found one day between the two unlearned 
combatants Sartor and Sutor, who assaulted and de- 
fended the doctrine of transubstantiation with much 
zeal and violence; but Latino happening to come into 
their company and inquiring the subject of their dispute, 
asked each of them what he meant by that long hard word 
transubstantiation. Sutor readily informed him that he 
understood — bowing at the name Jesus : but Sartor as- 
sured him that he meant nothing but bowing at the high 
altar. "No wonder, then," said Latino, "that you can 
not agree when you neither understand one another, nor 
the word about which you contend." 

I think the whole family of the Sartors and Sutors would be 
wiser if they avoided such kind of debates till they understood 
the terms better. But alas! even their wives carry on such 
conferences: the other day one was heard in the street explain- 
ing to her less learned neighbor the meaning of metaphysical 
science; and she assured her, that as physics were medicines 
for the body, so metaphysics were physics for the soul; upon 
this they went on to dispute the point— how far the divine ex- 
celled the doctor. 

Auditum admissi risnm teneatis, amici? 
Ridentem dicere vcrum quid vetat? 

Can it be faulty to repeat 

A dialogue that walk'd the street? 

Or can my gravest friends forbear 

A laugh, when such disputes they hear ? 



OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 97 

Vri. And not only the sense and meaning of the words 
used in the question should be settled and adjusted be- 
tween the disputants, but the precise point of inquiry 
should be distinctly fixed; the question in debate 
should be limited precisely to its special extent, or de- 
clared to be taken in its more general sense. This sort 
of specification or limitation of the question hinders 
and prevents the disputants from wandering away 
from the precise point of inquiry. 

It is this trifling humor or dishonest artifice of 
changing the question and wandering away from the 
first point of debate, which gives endless length to dis- 
putes and causes both disputants to part without any 
satisfaction. And one chief occasion of it is this: when 
one of the combatants feels his cause run low and fail, 
and is just ready to be confuted and demolished, he is 
tempted to step aside to avoid the blow, and betakes him 
to a different question : thus, if his adversary be not well 
aware of him, he begins to entrench himself in a new 
fastness, and holds out the siege with a new artillery of 
thoughts and words. It is the pride of man which is the 
spring of this evil, and an unwillingness to yield up their 
own opinions even to be overcome by truth itself. 

VIII. Keep this always, therefore, upon your mind as 
an everlasting rule of conduct in your debates to find 
out truth, that a resolute design, or even a warm affec- 
tation of victory, is the bane of all real improvement, 
and an effectual bar against the admission of the 
truth which you profess to seek. This works with a 
secret, but a powerful and mischievous influence in every 
dispute, unless we are much upon our guard. It appears 
in frequent conversation ; every age, every sex, and each 
party of mankind, are so fond of being in the right, that 
fchey know not how to renounce this unhappy prejudice, 
this vain love of victory. 



98 OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 

When truth with bright evidence is ready to break in 
upon a disputant, and to overcome his objections and 
mistakes, how swift and ready is the mind to engage 
wit and fancy, craft and subtlety, to cloud and perplex 
and puzzle the truth, if possible ! How eager is he to 
throw in some impertinent question to divert from the 
main subject! How swift to take hold of some occa- 
sional word, thereby to lead the discourse off from the 
point in hand ! So much afraid is human nature of part- 
ing Avith its errors and being overcome by truth. 

Just thus a hunted hare calls up all the shifts that nature 
hath taught her : she treads back her mazes, crosses and con- 
founds her former track, and uses all possible methods to di- 
vert the scent, when she is in danger of being seized and taken. 
Let puss practice what nature teaches ; but would one imagine 
that any rational being should take such pains to avoid truth 
and to escape the improvement of its understanding? 

IX. When you come to a dispute in order to find out 
truth, do not presume that you are certainly possessed 
of it beforehand. Enter the debate with a sincere 
design of yielding to reason, on which side soever it 
appears. Use no subtle arts to cloud and entangle the 
question; hide not yourself in doubtful words and 
phrases; do not affect little shifts and subterfuges to 
avoid the force of an argument; take a generous 
pleasure to espy the first rising beams of truth, though 
it be on the side of your opponent; endeavor to remove 
t lie little obscurities that hang about it, and suffer and 
encourage it to break out into open and convincing light ; 
that while your opponent perhaps may gain the better 
of your reasonings, yet you yourself may triumph over 
error ; and I am sure that is a much more valuable acqui- 
sition and victory. 

X. Watch narrowly in every dispute, that your 
opponent does not lead you unwarily to grant some 
principle of the proposition, which will bring with it 



OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 99 

a fatal consequence, and lead you insensibly into his 
sentiment, though it be far astray from the truth; and 
by this wrong step you will be, as it were, plunged into 
dangerous errors before you arc aware. 

Remember this short and plain caution of the subtle 
errors of men. Let a snake but once thrust in his head 
at some small unguarded fold of your garment, and lie 
will insensibly and unavoidably wind his whole body 
into your bosom, and give you a pernicious wound. 

XL On the other hand, when you have found your 
opponent make any such concession as may turn to 
your real advantage in maintaining the truth, be wise 
and watchful to observe it, and make a happy improve- 
ment of it. 

XII. When you are engaged in a dispute with a per- 
son of very different principles from yourself, and you 
can not find any ready way to prevail with him to 
embrace the truth by principles which you both freely 
acknowledge, you may fairly make use of his own 
principles to show him his mistake, and thus convince 
or silence him from his own concessions. 

If your opponent should be a Stoic philosopher or a Jew, 
you may pursue your argument in defense of some Christian 
doctrine or duty against such a disputant, by axioms or laws 
borrowed either from Zeno or Moses. And though you do not 
enter into the inquiiy how many of the laws of Moses are ab- 
rogated, or whether Zeno was right or wrong in his philosophy, 
yet if from the principles and concessions of your opponent, 
you can support your argument for the Gospel of Christ, this 
has been always counted a fair treatment of an adversary, and 
it is called argumentum ad hominem, or ratio ex concesHis. St. 
Paul sometimes makes use of this sort of disputation, when he 
talks with Jews or heathen philosophers; and at last he 
silences if not convinces them : which is sometimes necessary 
to be done against an obstinate and clamorous adversary, that 
just honor might be paidto truths which heknewwere divine, 
and that the onlytrue doctrine of salvation might be confirmed 
and propagated among sinful and dying men. 

XIII. Yet great care must be taken, lest your 



100 OF DISPUTES IN GENERAL. 

debates break in upon your passions, and awaken 
them to take part in the controversy. When the oppo- 
nent pushes hard, and gives just and mortal wounds to 
our own opinions, our passions are very apt to feel the 
strokes, and to rise in resentment and defense. Self is 
so mingled with the sentiments which we have chosen, 
and has such a tender feeling of all the opposition which 
is made to them, that personal brawls are very ready to 
come in as seconds, to succeed and finish the dispute of 
opinions. Then noise, and clamor, and folly, appear 
in all their shapes, and chase reason and truth out of 
sight. 

How unhappy is the case of frail and wretched man- 
kind in this dark or dusky state of strong passion and 
glimmering reason ! How ready are we, when our pas- 
sions are engaged in the dispute, to consider more what 
loads of nonsense and reproach we can lay upon our 
opponent, than what reason and truth require in the 
controversy itself ! Dismal are the consequences man- 
kind are too often involved in by this evil principle ; it 
is this common and dangerous practice that carries the 
heart aside from all that is fair and honest in our search 
after truth, or the propagation of it in the world. 
Happy souls, who keep such a sacred dominion over 
11 R'ir inferior and animal powers, and all the influences 
of pride and secular interest, that the sensitive tumults, 
or these vicious influences, never rise to disturb the 
superior and better operations of the reasoning mind ! 

XIY. These general directions are necessary, or at 
least useful, in all debates whatsoever, whether they 
arise in occasional conversation, or are appointed at any 
certain time or place : whether they are managed with or 
without any formal rules to govern them. 



CHAPTER X. 

OF STUDY OR MEDITATION. 

T. It has been proved and established in some of the 
foregoing chapters, that neither our own observa- 
tions, nor our reading the labors of the learned, nor 
the attendance on the best lectures of instruction, nor 
enjoying the brightest conversation, can ever make a 
man truly knowing and wise, without the labors of his 
own reason in surveying, examining, and judging con- 
cerning all subjects upon the best evidence he can ac- 
quire. A good genius, or sagacity of thought, a happy 
judgment, a capacious memory, and large opportunities 
of observation and converse, will do much of themselves 
towards the cultivation of the mind, where they are well 
improved; but where, to the advantage of learned 
lecturers, living instructions, and well chosen books, 
diligence and study are superadded, this man has all 
human aids concurring to raise him to a superior degree 
of wisdom and knowledge. 

Under the preceding heads of discourse it has been already de- 
clared how our own meditation and reflection should examine, 
cultivate, and improve all other methods and advantages of 
enriching the understanding. What remains in this chapter 
is to give some farther occasional hints how to employ our own 
thoughts, what sort of subjects we should meditate on, and in 
what manner we should regulate our studies, and how we may 
improve our judgment, so as in the most effectual and com- 
pendious way to attain such knowledge as may be most useful 
for every man in his circumstances of life, and particularly 
for those of the learned professions. 

IT. The first direction for youth is this— learn be- 
times to distinguish between words and things. Get 
clear and plain ideas of the thing? you are set to study. 

101 



102 OF STUDY OR MEDITATION. 

Do not content yourselves with mere words and names, 
lest your labored improvements only amass a heap of 
unintelligible phrases, and you feed upon husks instead 
of kernels. This rule is of unknown use in every science. 

III. Let not your students apply themselves to 
search out deep, dark, and abstruse matters, far 
above their reach, or spend their labor in any peculiar 
subjects, for which they have not the advantages of 
necessary antecedent learning, or books, or observations. 
Let them not be too hasty to know things above their 
present powers, nor plunge their inquiries at once into 
the depths of knowledge, nor begin to study any science 
in the middle of it ; this will confound rather than en- 
lighten the understanding ; such practices may happen to 
discourage and jade the mind by an attempt above its 
power; it may balk the understanding, and create an 
aversion to future diligence, and perhaps by despair 
may forbid the pursuit of that subject forever afterwards: 
as a limb overstrained by lifting a weight above its power 
may never recover its former agility and vigor ; or if 
it does, the man may be frighted from ever exerting its 
strength again. 

IV. Nor yet let any student, on the other hand, 
fright himself at every turn with insurmountable 
difficulties, nor imagine that the truth is wrapt up in 
impenetrable darkness. These are formidable specters 
which the understanding raises sometimes to flatter its 
own laziness. Those things which in a remote and con- 
fused view seem very obscure and perplexed may be ap- 
proached by gentle and regular steps, a::d may then un- 
fold and explain themselves at large to the eye. The 
hardest problems in geometry, and the most intricate 
schemes or diagrams, may be explicated and understood 
step by step; every g^at mathematician bears a constant 
witness to the observation. 



01? STUDY OE MEDITATION". 103 

V. In learning any new thing, there should be as 
little as possible first proposed to the mind at once, 
and that being understood and fully mastered, proceed 
then to the next adjoining part yet unknown. This is a 
slow, but sale and sure way to arrive at knowledge. If 
the mind apply itself at first to easier subjects, and things 
near akin to what is already known, and then advance to 
the more remote and knotty parts of knowledge by slow 
degrees, it would be able in this manner to cope with 
great difficulties, aud prevail over them with amazing 
and happy success. 

Mathon happened to dip into the last two chapters of a new 
book of geometry and mensuration as soon as he saw it, and 

was frightened with the complicated diagrams which he found 
there, about the frustums of cones and pyramids, etc., and 
some deep demonstrations among conic sections ; he shut the 
book again in despair and imagined none but a Sir Isaac 
Newton was ever fit to read it. But his tutor happily persuaded 
him to begin the first pages about lines and angles; and he 
found such surprising pleasure in three weeks' time in the 
victories he daily obtained, that at last he became one of. the 
chief geometers of his age. 

YI. Engage not the mind in the intense pursuit of 
too many things at once ; especially such as have no 
relation to one another. This will be ready to distract 
the understanding and hinder it from attaining perfec- 
tion in any one subject of study. Such a practice gives 
a slight smattering of several sciences, without any solid 
and substantial knowledge of them, and without any real 
and valuable improvement; and though two or three sorts 
of study may be usefully carried on at once, to entertain 
the mind with variety, that it may not be overtired with 
one sort of thoughts, yet a multitude of subjects will too 
much distract the attention and weaken the application 
of the mind to any one of them. 

Where two or three sciences are pursued at the same 
time, if one of them be dry, abstracted, and unpleasant,- 



104 OF STUDY OR MEDITATION. 

as logic, metaphysics, law, languages, let another be more 
entertaining and agreeable, to secure the mind from 
weariness and aversion to study. Delight should be in- 
termingled with labor as far as possible, to allure us 
to bear the fatigue of dry studies the better. Poetry, 
practical mathematics, history, etc., are generally es- 
teemed entertaining studies and may be happily used for 
this purpose. Thus while we relieve a dull and heavy 
hour by some alluring employments of the mind, our very 
diversions enrich our understandings, and our pleasure 
is turned to profit. 

VII. In the pursuit of every valuable subject of knowl- 
edge, keep the end always in your eye, and be not di- 
verted from it by every petty trifle you meet witli in llie 
way. Some persons have such a wandering genius that 
they are ready to pursue every incidental theme or occa- 
sional idea, till they have lost sight of the original sub- 
ject. These are the men who, when they are engaged in 
conversation, prolong their story by dwelling on every 
incident, and swell their narrative with long parentheses, 
till they have lost their first designs ; like a man who is 
sent in quest of some great treasure, but he steps aside to 
gather every flower he finds, or stands still to dig up 
every shining pebble he meets with in his way, till the 
treasure is forgotten and never found. 

VIII. Exert your care, skill, and diligence, about 
every subject and every question, in a just propor- 
tion to the importance of it, together with the danger 
and bad consequences of ignorance or error therein. 
Many excellent advantages flow from this one direction. 

1. This rule will teach you to be very careful in gaining 
some general and fundamental truth in philosophy, and 
religion, and in human life; because they are of the 
highest moment, and conduct our thoughts with case into 
a thousand inferior and particular propositions. 



OF STUDY OR MEDITATION. 105 

2. This rule will direct us to bo more careful about 
practical points than mere speculations, since they are 
commonly of much greater use and consequence. 

3. In matters of practice we should be mod careful to 
fix our end right, and wisely to determine the scope at 
which we aim, because that is to direct ns in the choice 
and use of all the means to attain it. If our end be wrong, 
all our labor in the means will be vain, or perhaps so 
much the more pernicious as they are better suited to at- 
tain that mistaken end. If mere sensible pleasure, or 
human grandeur, or wealth, be our chief end, we shall 
choose means contrary to piety and virtue, and proceed 
apace towards real misery. 

4. This rule will engage our best powers and deejiest at- 
tention in the affairs of religion, and things that relate to a 
future world : for those propositions which extend only 
to the interest of the present life, are but of small im- 
portance when compared with those that have influence 
upon our everlasting concernments. 

5. And even in the affairs of religion, if we walk by 
the conduct of this rule, we shall be much more laborious 
in our inquiries into the necessary and fundamental 
articles of faith and practice, than the lesser appendices of 
Christianity. The great doctrines of repentance towards 
God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, with love to men, 
and universal holiness, will employ our best and brightest 
hours and meditations, while the mint, anise, and cum- 
min, the gestures, and vestures, and fringes of religion, 
will be regarded no farther than thoy have a plain and 
evident connection with faith and love, with holiness and 
peace. 

(>. This rule will make us solicitous not only to avoid 
such errors, whose influence would spread wide into the 
whole scheme, of our own knowledge and practice, but 
such mistakes also whose influence would be yet more ex- 



100 OF STUDY OK MEDITATION. 

tensive and injurious io others as well as to ourselves : per- 
haps to many persons or many families, to a whole church, 
a town, a country, or a kingdom. Upon this account, 
persons who are called to instruct others, who are raised 
to any eminence either in Church or State, ought to be 
careful in settling their principles in matters relating to 
the civil, the moral, or the religions life, lest a mistake 
of theirs should diffuse wide mischief, should draw along 
with it most pernicious consequences, and perhaps ex- 
tend to following generations. 

These are some of the advantages which arise from the 
eighth rule, viz. : Pursue every inquiry and study in pro- 
portion to its real value and importance. 

IX. Have care lest some beloved notion, or some 
darling science, so far prevail over your mind as to give 
a sovereign tincture to all your other studies and 
discolor all your ideas, likeaperson in the jaundice, who 
spreads a yellow scene with his eyes over all the objects 
which he meets. I have known a man of peculiar skill in 
music, and much devoted to that science, who f< >und out 
a great resemblance of the Athanasian doctrine of the 
Trinity in every single note, and he thought it carried 
something of argument in it to prove that doctrine. I 
have read of another who accommodated the seven days 
of the first week of creation to seven notes of music, and 
thus the wdiole creation became harmonious. 

Under this influence, derived from mathematical 
studies, some have been tempted to cast all their logical, 
their metaphysical, and their theological and mora] 
learning into the method of mathematicians, and bring 
everything relating to those abstracted, or those prac- 
tical sciences, under theorems, problems, postulates, 
scholiums, corollaries, etc., whereas, the matter ought 
always to direct the method ; for all subjects or matters 
of thought can not be moulded or subdued to one form. 



OF STUDY OR MEDITATION. 107 

Neither the rules for the conduct of the understanding, 
nor the doctrines nor duties of religion and virtue, can 
be exhibited naturally in figures and diagrams. Things 

are to be considered as they are in themselves; their na- 
tures are inflexible, and their natural relations unalter- 
able ; and therefore, in order to conceive them aright, we 
must bring our understanding to things, and not pretend 
to bend and strain things to comport with our fancies 
and forms. 

X. Suffer not any beloved study to prejudice your 
mind so far in favor of it as to despise all other learn- 
ing. This is a fault of some little souls, who have got a 
smattering of astronomy, chemistry, metaphysics, his- 
tory, etc., and for want of a due acquaintance with other 
sciences, make a scoff at them all in comparison of their 
favorite science. Their understandings are hereby cooped 
up in narrow bounds, so that they never look abroad into 
other provinces of the intellectual world, which are more 
beautiful, perhaps, and more fruitful than their own : if 
they would search a little into other sciences, they might 
not only find treasures of new knowledge, but might be 
furnished also with rich hints of thought and glorious 
assistances to cultivate that very province to which they 
have confined themselves. 

XI. Let every particular study have due and 
proper time assigned it, and let not a favorite science 
prevail with you to lay out such hours upon it, as ought 
to be employed upon the more necessary and more impor- 
tant affairs or studies of your profession. "When you have, 
according to the best of your discretion, and according 
to the circumstances of your life, fixed proper hours for 
particular studies, endeavor to keep to those rules ; not 
indeed, with a superstitious preciseness, but with some 
good degrees of a regular constancy. Order and method 
in a course of study saves much time and makes large 



10S OF STUDY OR MEDITATION. 

improvements. Such a fixation of certain hours will 
have a happy influence to secure you from trilling and 
wasting away your minutes in impertinence. 

XIT. Do not apply yourself to any one study at 
one time longer than the mind is capable of giving a 
close attention to it without weariness or wandering. 
Do not overfatigue the spirits at any time, lest the 
mind be seized with a lassitude, and thereby be tempted 
to nauseate and grow tired of a particular subject before 
you have finished it. 

XIII. In the beginning of your application to any 
new subject be not too uneasy under present difficulties 
that occur, nor too importunate ami impatient for answers 
and solutions to any questions that arise. Perhaps a 
little more study, a little further acquaintance with the 
subject, a little time and experience will solve those 
difficulties, untie the knot, and make your doubts 
vanish : especially if you are under the instruction of a 
tutor, he can inform you that your inquiries are perhaps 
too early, and that you have not yet learned those prin- 
ciples upon which the solution of such a difficulty 
depends. 

XIV. Do not expect to arrive at certainty in every 
subject which you pursue. There are a hundred things 
wherein we mortals in this dark and imperfect state must 
be content with probability, where our best light and 
reasonings will reach no farther. We must balance argu- 
ments as justly as we can, and where we can not find 
weight enough on either side to determine the scale with 
sovereign force and assurance, we must content ourselves, 
perhaps, with a small preponderation. This will give us 
a probable opinion, and those probabilities are sufficient 
for the daily determination of a thousand actions in 
human life, and many times even in matters of religion. 

It is admirably well expressed by a late writer — 



OF STUDY Oli MEDITATION. 109 

"When there is a great strength of argument set before 
us, it' we will refuse to do what appears most lit for us, 

till every little objection is removed, we shall never take 
one wise resolution as long as we live.' 7 

Suppose I had been honestly and long searching what 
religion I should choose, and yet I could not find that the 
argument in defense of Christianity arose to complete 
certainty, but went only so far as to give me a probable 
evidence of the truth of it : though many difficulties still 
remain, yet I should think myself obliged to receive and 
practice that religion j for the God of nature and reason 
has bound us to assent and act according to the best evi- 
dence we have, even though it be not absolute and com- 
plete, and as He is our Supreme Judge, His abounding 
goodness and equity will approve and acquit the man 
whose conscience honestly and willingly seeks the best 
light and obeys it as far as he can discover it. 

But in matters of great importance in religion, let him 
join all due diligence with earnest and humble prayers 
for divine aid in his inquiries ; such prayer and such 
diligence as eternal concerns require, and such as he may 
plead with courage before the Judge of all. 

XV. Endeavor to apply every speculative study as 
far as possible, to some practical use, that both your- 
self and others may be the better for it. Inquiries even 
in natural philosophy should not be mere amusement, 
and much less in the affairs of religion. Eesearches into 
the springs of natural bodies and their motions should 
lead men to invent happy methods for the ease and con- 
venience of human life ; or at least they should be im- 
proved to awaken us to admire the wondrous wisdom 
and contrivances of God our creator in all the works of 
Nature. 



CIIAPTEB XI. 

OF FIXING THE ATTENTION. 

I. A student should labor, by all proper methods, 
to acquire a steady fixation of thought. Attention is 
a very necessary thing in order to improve our minds. 
The evidence of truth does not always appear immedi- 
ately, nor strike the soul at first sight. It is by long 
attention and inspection that we arrive at evidence, and 
it is for want of it we judge falsely of many things. We 
make haste to determine upon a slight and a sudden 
view, Ave confirm our guesses which arise from a glance, 
we pass a judgment while we have but a confused or 
obscure perception, and thus plunge ourselves into mis- 
takes. This is like a man who, walking in a mist, or 
being at a great distance from any visible object (sup- 
pose a tree, a man, a horse, or a church, ) judges much 
amiss of the figure, and situation, and colors of it, and 
sometimes takes one for the other ; whereas, if he would 
but withhold his judgment till he came nearer to it, or 
stay till clearer light comes, and then would fix his eyes 
longer upon it, he would secure himself from those 
mistakes. 

II. Now, in order to gain a greater facility of atten- 
tion, we may observe these rules: 

1. Get a good liking to the study of knowledge you icould 
•pursue. We may observe, that there is not much diffi- 
culty in confining the mind to contemplate what we have 
a great desire to know ; and especially if they are matters 
of sense, or ideas which paint themselves upon the 
fancy. It is but acquiring a hearty good will and reso- 
lution bo search out and survey the various properties 



OF FIXING THE ATTENTION. Ill 

and parts of such objects, and our attention will b(5 
engaged, if there be any delight or diversion in the 
s1 udy or contemplation of them. Therein re, mathematical 
studies have a strange influence towards fixing the atten- 
tion of the mind and giving a steadiness to a wandering 
disposition, because they deal much in lines, figures, and 
numbers, which affect and please the sense and imagina- 
tion. Histories have a strong tendency the same way, 
for they engage the soul by a variety of sensible occur- 
rences ; when it hath begun, it knows not how to leave 
off; it longs to know the final event, through a natural 
curiosity that belongs to mankind. Voyages and travels, 
and accounts of strange countries and strange appear- 
ances, will assist in this work. This sort of study 
detains the mind by the perpetual occurrence and expec- 
tation of something new, and that which may gratefully 
strike the imagination. 

2. Sometimes we may make use of sensible things and 
corporeal images for the illustration of those notions, 
which are mere abstracted and intellectual. Therefore, 
diagrams greatly assist the mind in astronomy and 
philosophy ; and the emblems of virtues and vices may 
happily teach children, and pleasingly impress those 
useful moral ideas on young minds, which perhaps might 
be conveyed to them with much more difficulty by mere 
moral and abstracted discourses. 

I confess, in this practice of representing moral subjects by 
pictures, we should be cautious lest we so far immerse the 
mind in corporeal images, as to render it unfit to take in an 
abstracted and intellectual idea, or cause it to form wrong con- 
ceptions of immaterial things. This practice, therefore, is 
rather to be used at first, in order to get a fixed habit of atten- 
tion, and in some cases only ; but it can never be our constant 
way and method of pursuing all moral, abstracted, and 
spiritual themes. 

3. Apply yourself to those studies, and read those 
authors who draw out their subjects into a perpetual chain of 



1V2 OF FIXING THE ATTENTION. 

connected reasonings, wherein the following parts of the 
discourse are naturally and easily derived from those 
which go before. Several of the mathematical sciences, 
if not all, are happily useful for this purpose. This will 
render the labor of study delightful to a rational mind, 
and will fix the powers of the understanding with strong 
attention to their proper operations by the very pleasure 
of it. Labor ipse voluptas is a happy proposition where- 
soever it can be applied. 

4. Do not choose your constant place of study by the finery 
of the prospects, or the most various and entertaining 
scenes of sensible things. Too much light, or a variety 
of objects which strike the eye or the ear, especially 
while they are ever in motion or often changing, have a 
natural and powerful tendency to steal away the mind 
too often from its steady pursuit of any subject which 
we contemplate; and thereby the soul gets a habit of 
silly curiosity and impertinence, of trilling and wan- 
dering. 

Vagario thought himself furnished with the best closet for 
his studies among the beauties, gaieties, and diversions of Ken- 
sington or Hampton Court ; but after seven years professing to 
pursue learning, he was a mere novice still. 

5. Be not in too much haste to come to the determination 
of a difficult or important point Think it worth your 
waiting to find out truth. Do not give your assent up to 
either side of a question too soon, merely on this account, 
that the study of it is long and difficult. Bather be con- 
tented with ignorance for a season, and continue in sus- 
pense till your attention, and meditation, and due labor, 
have found out sufficient evidence on one side. Some 
are so fond to know a great deal at once, and love to talk 
of things with freedom and boldness before they truly 
understand them, that they scarcely ever allow them- 
selves attention enough to search the matter through and 
through. 



OF FIXING THE ATTENTION. 113 

G. Have a care of indulging the more sensual passions and 
appetites of animal nature; they are great enemies to 
attention. Let not the mind of a student be under the 
influence of any warm affection to things of sense, when 

he conies to engage in the search of truth or the im- 
provement of his understanding. A person under the 
power of love, or fear, or anger, great pain, or deep 
sorrow, hath so little government of his soul, that he 
can not keep it attentive to the proper subject of his 
meditation. The passions call away the thoughts with 
incessant importunity towards the object that excited 
them ; and if we indulge the frequent rise and roving of 
passions, we shall thereby procure an unsteady and 
unattentive habit of mind. 

Yet this one exception must be admitted, viz. : If we 
can be so happy as to engage any passion of the soul on 
the side of the particular study which we are pursuing, 
it may have great influence to fix the attention more 
strongly to it. 

7. It is, therefore, very useful to fix and engage the 
mind in the pursuit of any study by a consideration of the 
divine pleasures of truth and knowledge — by a sense of our 
duty to God — by a delight in the exercise of our intel- 
lectual faculties — by the hope of future service to our 
fellow creatures, and glorious advantage to ourselves 
both in this world and that which is to come. These 
thoughts, though they may move our affections, yet they 
do it with a proper influence : these will rather assist and 
promote our attention, than disturb or divert it from the 
subject of our present and proper meditations. 

A soul inspired with the fondest love of truth and 
the warmest aspirations after sincere felicity and celestial 
beatitude, will keep all its powers attentive to the 
incessant pursuit of them : passion is then refined and 
consecrated to its divinest purposes. 



CHAPTER XII. 

OF ENLARGING THE CAPACITY OF THE MIND. 

There are three things which in an especial manner 
go to make up that amplitude or capacity of mind 
which is one of the noblest characters belonging to the 
understanding. 

1. When the mind is ready to take in great and sublime ideas 
without pain or difficulty, 

2. When the mind is free to receive new and strange ideas, 
upon just evidence, without great surprise or aversion. 

3. When the mind is able to conceive or survey many ideas 
at once without confusion, and to form a true judgment de- 
rived from that extensive survey. 

The person who wants either of these characters may, 
in that respect, be said to have a narrow genius. Let us 
diffuse our meditations a little upon this subject. 

I. That is an ample and capacious mind which is 
ready to take in vast and sublime ideas without pain 
or difficulty. Persons who have never been used to 
converse with any thing but the common, little, and 
obvious affairs of life, have acquired such a narrow or 
contracted habit of soul, that they are not able to stretch 
their intellects wide enough to admit large and noble 
thoughts; they are ready to make their domestic, daily, 
and familiar images of things the measure of all that is, 
and all that can be. 

II. I proceed now to consider the next thing wherein 
the capacity or amplitude of the mind consists, and that 
is, when the mind is free to receive new and strange 
ideas and propositions upon just evidence without 
any great Surprise or aversion. Those who conline them- 



CAPACITY OF THE MINI). 115 

selves within the circle of their own hereditary ideas and 
opinions, and who never give themselves leave so much 
as to examine or believe any thing besides the dictates 
of their own family, or sect, or party, are justly charged 
with a narrowness of soul. Let us survey some in- 
stances of this imperfection, and then direct to the 
cure of it. 

1. Persons who have been bred up all their days within the 
smoke of their father' s chimney, or Avithin the limits of their 
native town or village, are surprised at every new sight 
that appears, when they travel a few miles from home. 

This narrowness of mind should be cured by hearing 
and reading of accounts of different parts of the world, 
and the histories of past ages, and of nations and coun- 
tries distant from our own, especially the more polite 
parts of mankind. Nothing tends in this respect so 
much to enlarge the mind as traveling, i. e., making a 
visit to other towns, cities, or countries, besides those in 
which we were born and educated; and where our con- 
dition of life does not grant us this privilege, we must 
endeavor to supply the want of it by books. 

2. It is the same narrowness of mind that awakens the 
surprise and aversion of some persons, when they hear ®f 
doctrines and schemes in human affairs, or in religion, 
quite different from what they have embraced. Perhaps 
they have been trained up from their infancy in one set of 
notions, and their thoughts have been confined to one 
single track both in the civil or religious life, without 
ever hearing or knowing what other opinions are current 
among mankind : or at least they have seen all other 
notions besides their own represented in a false and 
malignant light; whereupon they judge and condemn 
at once every sentiment but what their own party re- 
ceives; and they think it a piece of justice and truth to 
lay heavy censures upon the practice of every sect in 



116 OF ENLARGING THE 

Christianity or politics. They have so rooted themselves 
in the opinions of their party, that they can not hear an 
objection with patience, nor can they bear a vindication, 
or so much as an apology, for any set of principles beside 
their own ; all the rest is nonsense or heresy, folly or 
blasphemy. 

This defect also is to be relieved by free conversation 
with, persons of different sentiments : this will teach us 
to bear with patience a defense of opinions contrary to 
our own. If Ave are- scholars, we should also read the 
objections against our own tenets and view the prin- 
ciples of other parties, as they are represented in their 
own authors, and not merely in the citations of those 
who would confute them. We should take an honest 
and unbiased survey of the force of reasoning on all 
sides, and bring all to the test of unprejudiced reasoning 
and divine revelation. Note, this is not to be done in a 
rash and self-sufficient manner; but with an humble de- 
pendence on divine wisdom and grace, while we walk 
among snares and dangers. 

By such a free converse with persons of different sects 
(especially those who differ only in particular forms of 
Christianity, but agree in the great and necessary doc- 
trines of it) we shall find that there are persons of good 
sense and virtue, persons of piety and worth, persons 
of much candor and goodness, who belong to different 
parties and have imbibed sentiments opposite to each 
other. This will soften the roughness of an unpolished 
soul, and enlarge the avenues of our charity towards 
others, and incline us to receive them into all the de- 
grees of unity and affection which the word of God re- 
quires. 

TIT. The capacity of the understanding includes yet 
another qualification in it, and that is, an ability to re- 
ceive many ideas at once without confusion. The 



CAPACITY OF THE MIND. 117 

ample mind take3 a survey of several objects with one 
glance, keeps them all within sight and present to the 
soul, that they may be compared together in their mutual 
respects; it forms just judgments, and it draws proper 
inferences from this comparison, even to a great length 
of argument, and a chain of demonstrations. 

1. The narrowness that belongs to human souls in 
general is a great imperfection and impediment to wisdom 
and happiness. There are but few persons who can con- 
template or practice several things at once ; our faculties 
are very limited, and while we are intent upon one 
part or property of a subject, we have but a slight 
glimpse of the rest, or we lose it out of sight, But it 
is a sign of a large and capacious mind, if we can with 
one single view take in a variety of objects 5 or at least 
when the mind can apply itself to several objects with so 
swift a succession, and in so few moments, as attains 
almost the same ends as if it were done in the same 
instant. 

2. This is a necessary qualification in order to great knowl- 
edge and good judgment; for there are several things 
in human life, in religion, and in the sciences, 
which have various circumstances, appendices, and 
relations attending them ; and without a survey of all 
those ideas which stand in connection with and rela- 
tion to each other, we are often in danger of passing a 
false judgment on the subject proposed. It is for this 
reason there are so numerous controversies found among 
the learned and unlearned world, in matters of religion 
as well as in the affairs of civil government. 

3. It is owing to the narrowness of our minds that we 
are exposed to the same peril in the matters of human 
duty and prudence. In many things which we do, 
we ought not only to consider the mere naked action 
itself, but the persons who act, the persons towards 



118 OF ENLARGING Till: 

whom, the time when, the place where, the manner how, 
the end for which the action is done, together with the 
effects that mast or that may follow, and all other sur- 
rounding circumstances : those things must necessarily 

be taken into our view, in order to determine whether the 
action, which is indifferent in itself, be either lawful or 
unlawful, good or evil, wise or foolish, decent or indecent, 
proper or improper, as it is so circumstantiated. 

Let me give a plain instance for the illustration of this 
matter. Mario kills a dog, which, considered merely in itself, 
seems to be an indifferent action : now, the dog was Timon's, 
and not his own; this makes it look unlawful. But Timon 
bid him do it ; this gives it an appearance of lawfulness again. 
It was done at church, and in time of divine service; these 
circumstances added, cast on it an air of irreligion. But the 
dog flew at Mario, and put him in danger* of his life; this 
relieves the seeming impiety of the action. Yet Mario might 
have escaped by flying thence; therefore the action appears to 
be improper. But the dog was known to be mad ; this further 
circumstance makes it almost necessary that the dog should be 
slain, lest he might worry the assembly and do much mischief. 
Yet again, Mario killed him with a pistol, which he happened 
to have in his pocket since yesterday's journey ; now hereby 
the whole congregation was terrified and discomposed, and 
divine service was broken off: this carries an appearance of 
great indecency and impropriety in it : but after all, when we 
consider a further circumstance, that Mario, being thus 
violently assaulted by a mad dog, had no way of escape, and 
no other weapon about him, it seems to take away all the 
colors of impropriety, indecency, or unlawfulness, and to allow 
that the preservation of one or many lives will justify the act 
as wise and good. Now, all these concurrent appendices of the 
action ought to be surveyed, in order to pronounce with justice 
and truth concerning it. 

There are a multitude of human actions in private 
life, in domestic affairs, in traffic, in civil governments, 
in courts of justice, in schools of learning, etc., which 
have so many complicated circumstances, aspects, and 
situations, with regard to time and place, persons and 
things, that it is impossible for any one to pass a rigid 
judgment concerning them, without entering into most 
of these circumstances, and surveying them extensively, 
and comparing and balancing them ail right. 



CAPACITY OF THE MINI). 1 L9 

1. Whence by the way I may take occasion to say, 
how many thousands are there who take upon thorn to 
pass their censures on the personal and the domestic 
actions of others, who pronounce boldly on the affairs 
of the public, and determine the justice or madness, the 
wisdom or folly of national administrations, of peace and 
wai, etc., whom neither God nor men ever qualified for 
such a post of judgment! They were not capable 
of entering into the numerous concurring springs of 
action, nor had they ever taken a survey of the twentieth 
part of the circumstances which were necessary for such 
judgments or censures. 

5. It is the narrowness of our minds, as well as the 
vices of the will, that oftentimes prevents from taking 
a full view of all the complicated and concurring appen- 
dices that belong to human actions : thence it comes to 
pass that there is so little right judgment, so little justice, 
prudence, or decency, practiced among the bulk of man- 
kind ; thence arise infinite reproaches and censures — 
alike foolish and unrighteous. «You see, therefore, how 
needful and happy a thing it is to be possessed of some 
measure of this amplitude of soul, in order to make us 
very wise, or knowing, or just, or prudent, or happy. 

6. I confess this sort of amplitude or capacity of 
mind is in a great measure the gift of Nature, for some 
are born with much more capacious souls than others. 

The genius of some persons is so poor mid limited, that 
they can hardly take in the connection of two or three 
propositions, unless it be in matters of sense, and which 
they have learned by experience : they are utterly unfit 
for speculative studies; it is hard for them to discern the 
difference betwixt right and wrong in matters of reason 
on any abstracted subjects ; these ought never to set up 
for scholars, but apply themselves to those arts and pro- 
fessions of life which are to be learned at an easier rate 
by slow degrees and daily experience. 



120 OF ENLARGING THE 

Others have a soul a little more capacious and they 
can take, in the connection of a few propositions pretty 
well; but if the chain of consequences be a little prolix, 
here they stick and are confounded. If persons of this 
make ever devote themselves to science, they should bo 
well assured of a solid and strong constitution of body, and 
well resolved to bear the fatigue of hard labor and 
diligence in study : if the iron be bent, King Solomon 
tells us, we must put more strength. 

But, in the third place, there are some of so bright 
and happy a genius and so ample a mind, that they 
can take in a long train of propositions, if not at once, 
yet in a very few moments, and judge well concerning 
the dependence of them. They can survey a variety of 
complicated ideas without fatigue or disturbance; and 
a number of truths offering themselves as it were at one 
view to their understanding, doth not perplex or con- 
found them. This makes a great man. 

IV. Now, though there may be much owing to nature 
in this case, yet experience assures us, that even a lower 
degree of this capacity and extent of thought may be 
increased by diligence and application, by frequent 
exercise, and by the observation of such rules as these: 

1. Labor, by all means, to gain an attentive and patient 
temper of mind, a power of confining and fixing your 
thoughts so long on any one appointed subject, till 
you have surveyed it on every side and in every situation, 
and run through the several powers, parts, properties 
and relations, effects and consequences of it. He whose 
thoughts are very fluttering and wandering, and can not 
be fixed attentively to a few ideas successively, will 
never be able to survey many and various objects dis- 
tinctly at once, but will certainly be overwhelmed and 
confounded with the multiplicity of them. The rules for 
fixing the attention in the former chapter are proper to 
be consulted here. 



CAPACITY OF THE MIND. 12L 

2. Accustom yourself to clear and distinct ideas in every 
thing you. think of. Be not satisfied with obscure 
and confused conceptions of things, especially where 
clearer may be obtained ; for one obscure or con- 
fused idea, especially if it be of great importance in the 
question, intermingled with many clear ones and placed 
in its variety of aspects towards them, will bo in danger 
of spreading confusion over the whole scene of ideas, and 
thus may have an unhappy influence to overwhelm the 
understanding with darkness and pervert the judgment. 
A little black paint will shamefully tincture and spoil 
twenty gay colors. 

Consider yet further, that if you content yourself 
frequently with words instead of ideas, or with cloudy 
and confused notions of things, how impenetrable will 
that darkness be, and how vast and endless that confu- 
sion which must surround and involve the understanding, 
when many of these obscure and confused ideas come to 
be set before the soul at once ; and how impossible will it 
be to form a clear and just judgment about them. 

3. Use all diligence to acquire and treasure up a 
large store of ideas and notions : take every opportunity 
to add something to your stock: and by frequent 
recollection fix them in your memory; nothing tends to 
confirm and enlarge the memory like a frequent review 
of its possessions. Then the brain being well furnished 
with various traces, signatures, and images, will have a 
rich treasure always ready to be proposed or offered, to 
the soul, when it directs its thoughts towards any par- 
ticular subject. This will gradually give the mind a 
faculty of surveying many objects at once, as a room that 
is richly adorned and hung round with a great variety 
of pictures strikes the eye almost at once with all that 
variety, especially if they have been well surveyed one 
by one at first: this makes it habitual and more easy to 



122 OF ENLARGING THE 

the inhabitants to lake in many of those painted scenes 
with a single glance or two. 

Here note, that by acquiring a rick treasure of notions, 
L do not mean only single ideas, but also propositions, 
observations, and experiences, with reasonings and 
arguments npon the various subjects that occur among 
natural and moral, common or sacred affairs; thai when 
you are called to judge concerning any question, you will 
have some principles of truth, some useful axioms and 
observations, always ready at hand to direct and assist 
your judgment. 

4. It is necessary that we should as far as possible 
entertain and lay up our daily new ideas in a regular 
order, and range the acquisitions of our souls under 
proper heads, whether of divinity, law, physics, 
mathematics, morality, politics, trade, domestic life, 
civility, decency, etc. , whether of cause, effect, substance, 
mode, power, property, body, spirit, etc.. We 
should inure our minds to methods and order continually; 
and when we take in any fresh ideas, occur- 
rences, and observations, we should dispose of them in 
their proper places, and see how they stand and agree 
with the rest of our notions on the same subjects: as a 
scholar would dispose of a new book on a proper shelf 
among its kindred authors; or as an officer at the post- 
house in London disposes of every letter he takes in, 
placing it in the box that belongs to the proper road or 
county. 

In any of these cases, if things lie all in a heap, the 
addition of any new object would increase the confusion. 
but method gives a speedy and short survey of them 
with ease and pleasure. Method is of admirable advan- 
tage to keep our ideas from a confused mixture, and to 
preserve them ready for every use. The science of on- 
tology, which distributes all beings, and all t lie affections 



CAPACITY OF THE MIND. 12.'i 

of being, whether absolute or relative, under proper 
., is of good service to keep our intellectual acqui- 
sitions in such order us that the mind may survey them 

at one,'. 

5. As method is necessary for the improvement of the 
mind, in order to make your treasure of ideas most u je- 
ful, so iii all your further pursuits of truth and acquire- 
ments of rational knowledge, observe a regular pro- 
gressive method. Begin with the most simple, easy, 
and obvious ideas; then by degrees join two, and three, 
and more of them together : thus the complicated ideas, 
growing up under your eye and observation, will not 
give the same confusion of thought as they would do if 
they were all offered to the mind at once, without your 
observing the original and formation of them. 

An eminent example of this appears in the study of arithme- 
tic. If a scholar, just admitted into the school, observes his 
master performing an operation in the rule of division, his 
head is at once disturbed and confounded with the manifold 
comparisons of the numbers of the divisor and dividend, and 
the multiplication of the one and subtraction of it from the 
other; but if he begin regularly at addition, and so proceed by 
subtraction and multiplication, he will then in a few weeks be 
able to take in an intelligent survey of all those operations in 
division, and to practice them himself with ease and pleasure, 
each of which at first seemed all intricacy and confusion. 

Beginning with A, B, C, and making syllables out of letters, 
and words out of syllables, has been the foundation of all that 
glorious superstructure of art and science which have enriched 
the minds and libraries of the learned world in several ages. 
These are the first steps by which the ample and capacious 
souls among mankind have arrived at that prodigious extent 
of knowledge, which renders them the wonder and glory of 
the nation where they live. Though Plato and Cicero, 
Descartes and Mr. Boyle, Mr. Locke and Sir Isaac Newton, 
were doubtless favored by nature with a genius of uncommon 
amplitude; vet, in their early years, and first attempts with 
science, this "was but limited and narrow, in comparison with 
what they attained at last. But how vast and capacious were 
those powers which they afterwards acquired by patient at- 
tention and watchful observation, by the pursuit of dear ideas, 
and a regular method of thinking. 



124 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

(5. Another means of acquiring this amplitude and 
capacity of mind, is a perusal of difficult entangled questions 
and of the solution of them in any science. Speculative 
and casuistical divinity will furnish us with many such 
cases and controversies, 

In moral and political subjects, PuffendorfT's Law of 
Nature and Nations, and several determinations therein, 
will promote the same amplitude of mind. An attend- 
ance on public trials, and arguments in the civil courts 
of justice, will be of good advantage for this purpose, 
and after a man has studied the general principles of the 
law of Nature, and the laws of England, in proper books, 
the reading the reports of adjudged cases, collected by 
men of great sagacity and judgment, will richly improve 
his mind toward acquiring this desirable amplitude and 
extent of thought, and more especially in persons of that 
profession. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

OF IMPROVING- THE MEMORY. 

I. Memory is a distinct faculty of the mind of man, 
very different from perception, judgment, and reasoning, 
and its other powers. Then we are said to remember 
any thing, when the idea of it arises in the mind with a 
consciousness at the same time that we have had this 
idea before. Our memory is our natural power of 
retaining what we learn, and of recalling it on every 
occasion. Therefore we can never be said to remember 
any tiling, whether it be ideas or propositions, words or 
things, notions or arguments, of which we have not had 
some former idea or perception, either by sense or im- 
agination, thought or reflection; but whatsoever wo learn 



OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 125 

from observation, book:;, or conversation, etc., it must 
all be laid up and preserved in the memory , ii* wo would 
make it really useful. 

II. So necessary and so excellent a faculty is the 
memory of man, that all other abilities of the mind 
borrow from hence their beauty and perfection ; for 
the other capacities of the soul are almost useless with- 
out this. To what purpose are all our labors in knowl- 
edge and wisdom, if we want memory to preserve and 
use what we have acquired? What signify all other 
intellectual and spiritual improvements, if they are lost 
as soon as they are obtained ? It is memory alone that 
enriches the mind, by preserving what our labor and in- 
dustry daily collect. In a word, there can be neither 
knowledge, nor arts, nor sciences, without memory; nor 
can there be any improvement of mankind in virtue or 
morals, or the practice of religion, without the assistance 
and influence of this power. Without memory the soul 
of man would be but a poor, destitute, naked being, with 
an everlasting blank spread over it, except the fleeting 
ideas of the present moment. 

III. Memory is very useful to those who speak as 
well as to those who learn ; it assists the teacher and 
the orator, as well as the scholar or the bearer. The 
best speeches and instructions are almost lost, if those 
who hear them immediately forget them. And those 
who are called to speak in public are much better heard 
and accepted, when they can deliver their discourse by 
the help of a lively genius and a ready memory, than 
when they are forced to read all that they would com- 
municate to their hearers. Beading is certainly a heavier 
way of conveyance of our sentiments ; and there are few 
mere readers who have the felicity of penetrating the 
soul and awakening the passions of those who hear, by 
such a grace and power of oratory, as the man who seems 



126 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

to talk every word from his very heart, and pours out 
the very riches of his own knowledge upon the people 
round about him by the help of a free and copious 
memory. This gives life and spirit to every thing that 
is spoken, and has a natural tendency to make a deeper 
impression on the minds of men: it awakens the dullest 
spirits, causes them to receive a discourse with more 
affection and pleasure, and adds a singular grace and ex- 
cellence, both to the person and his oration. 

IV. A good judgment and a good memory are very 
different qualifications. A person may have a very 
strong, capacious, and retentive memory, where the 
judgment is very poor and weak; as some times it hap- 
pens in those who are but one degree above an idiot, 
who have manifested an amazing strength and extent of 
memory, but have hardly been able to join or disjoin 
two or three ideas in a wise and happy manner to make 
a solid rational proposition. 

There have been instances of others who have had but 
a very tolerable power of memory, yet their judgment 
has been of a much superior degree, just and wise, solid 
and excellent. 

V. Yet it must be acknowledged, that where a happy 
memory is found in any person, there is one good 
foundation laid for a wise and just judgment of things, 
wheresoever the natural genius has any thing of sagacity 
and brightness to make a right use of it. A good judg- 
ment must always in some measure depend upon a survey 
and comparison of several tilings together in the mind, 
and determining the truth of some doubtful proposition 
by that survey and comparison. When the mind has, 
as it were, set all those various objects present before it, 
which are necessary to form a true proposition of judg- 
ment concerning any thing, it then determines that such 
and such ideas are to bo joined or disjoined, be ailirmed 



OF [MPKOVING THE MEMORY. 127 

or denied; and this is ;i consistency and correspond- 
ence with all those other ideas and propositions which 
any May relate or belong to the same subject. Now, there 
can be no such comprehensive survey of many things 
without a tolerable degree of memory; it is by reviewing 
things past Ave learn to judge of the future: and it hap- 
pens s >me times that if one needful or important object 
or idea be absent, the judgment concerning the thing in- 
quired will thereby become false or mistaken. 

VI. You will inquire then, How comes it to pass that 
there are some persons who appear in the world of 
business, as well as the world of learning, to have a 
good judgment, and have acquired the just character of 
prudence and wisdom, and yet have neither a very 
bright genius or sagacity of thought, nor a very 
happy memory, so that they can not sat before their 
minds at once a large scene of ideas in order to pass a 
judgment. 

Now, we may learn from Penseroso some accounts of thin 
difficulty. You shall scarcely ever find this man forward in 
j udging and determining things proposed to him ; but he always 
takes time, and delays, and suspends, and ponders things 
maturely, before he passes his judgment: then he practices a 
slow meditation, ruminates on the subject, and thus perhaps 
in two or three nights and days rouses and awakens those 
several ideas, one after another, as he can, which are necessary 
in order to judge aright of the thing proposed, and makes 
them pass before his review in succession: this he doth to re- 
lieve the want both of a quick sagacity of thought and of a 
ready memory and speedy recollection; and this caution and 
practice lays the foundation of his just judgment and wise 
conduct. He surveys well before he judges. 

Whence I can not but take occasion to infer one good 
rule of advice to persons of higher as well as lower 
genius, and of large as well as narrow memories, viz.: 
That they do not too hastily pronounce concerning 
matters of doubt or inquiry, where there is not an 
urgent necessity of present action. The bright genius 



128 OF IMPROVING TITE MEMORY. 

is ready to be so forward as often betrays itself into 
great errors in judgment, speech, and conduct, without 
a continual guard upon itself, and using* the bridle of 
the tongue. And it is by this delay and precaution that 
many a person of much lower natural abilities shall often 
excel persons of the brightest genius in wisdom and 
prudence. 

VII. It is often found that a fine genius has but a 
feeble memory; for where the genius is bright and the 
imagination vivid, the power of memory may be too much 
neglected and lose its improvement. An active fancy 
readily wanders over a multitude of objects and is con- 
tinually entertaining itself with new flying images; it 
Jims through a number of new scenes or new pages with 
pleasure, but without due attention, and seldom suffers 
itself to dwell long enough upon any one of them, to 
make a deep impression thereof upon the mind and 
commit it to lasting remembrance. This is one plain 
and obvious reason why there are some persons of very 
bright parts and active spirits, who have but short and 
narrow powers of remembrance : for having riches of 
their own, they are not solicitous to borrow. 

VIII. And as such a quick and various fancy and in- 
vention may be some hindrance to the attention and 
memory, so a mind of a good retentive ability, and which 
is ever crowding its memory with things which it learns 
and reads continually, may prevent, restrain, and 
cramp the invention itself. 

The memory of Lectorides is ever ready, upon all occasions-, 
to offer to his mind some thing out of other men's writings or 
conversations, and is presenting him with the thoughts of 
other persons perpetually; thus the man who had naturally a 
good flowing invention, does not sutler himself to pursue his 
own thoughts. Some persons who have been blessed by nature 
with sagacity and no contemptible genius, have too often for- 
bid the exercise of it, by tying themselves down to the memory 
of the volumes they have read and the sentiments of other 
men contained in them. 



OF [MPROVING THE MEMORY. 129 

Where the memory has been almost constanl ly employ- 
ing itself in scraping together new acquirements, and 
where there has not been a judgment sufficient to dis- 
tinguish what things were fit to be recommended and 
treasured up in the memory, and what things were idle, 
useless, or needless, the mind has been filled with a 
wretched heap of hodgepotch of words or ideas; and the 
soul may be said to have had large possessions, but no 
true riches. 

IX. I have read in some of Mr. Milton's writings a 
very beautiful simile, whereby he represents the books 
of the Fathers, as they are called in the Christian Church. 
Whatsoever, saith he, Old Time with his huge drag- 
net has conveyed down to us along the stream of ages, 
whether it be shells or shell-fish, jewels or pebbles, sticks 
or straws, sea- weeds or mud, these are the ancients, 
these are the fathers. The case is much the same with 
the memorial possessions of the greater part of mankind. 
A few useful things, perhaps, mixed and confounded 
with many trifles, and all manner of rubbish, fill up their 
memories and compose their intellectual possessions. It 
is a great happiness therefore to distinguish things aright, 
and to lay up nothing in the memory but what has 
some just value in it and is worthy to be numbered as 
a part of our treasure. 

X. Whatsoever improvements arise to the mind of man 
from the wise exercise of his own reasoning powers, 
these may be called his proper manufactures ; and 
whatsoever he borrows from abroad, these may be termed 
his proper treasures: both together make a wealthy 
and a happy mind. 

XI. How many excellent judgments and reasonings 
are framed in the mind of a man of wisdom and study in 
a length of years ! How many worthy and admirable 
notions has lie been possessed of in lite, both by his own 



130 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

reasonings, and his prudent and laborious collections in 
the conrse of his reading I But, alas ! how many thou- 
sands of them vanish aw ay again and are lost in empty 
air, for want of a stronger and more retentive 
memory ! When a young- praetioner in the law was 
once said to contest a point of debate with that great 
lawyer in the last age, Sergeant Maynard, he is reported 
to have answered him, "Alas! young man, I have forgot 
much more law than ever thou hast learnt or read. 7 ' 

XII. What an unknown and unspeakable happiness 
would it be to a man of judgment, and who is engaged in 
the pursuit of knowledge, if he had but a power of stamp- 
ing all his own best sentiments upon his memory in some 
indelible characters; and if he could but imprint every 
valuable paragraph and sentiment of the most excellent 
authors he has read, upon his mind, with the same 
speed and facility -with which he read them! If a 
man of good genius and sagacity could but retain and 
survey all those numerous, those wise and beautiful ideas 
at once, which have ever passed through his thoughts 
upon any one subject, how admirably would he be 
furnished to pass a just judgment about all present 
objects and occurrences! What a glorious entertain- 
ment and pleasure would felicitate his spirit, if he could 
grasp ail these in a single survey, as the skillful eye of a 
painter runs over a line and complicate piece of history 
wrought by the hand of a Titian or a Raphael, views the 
whole scene at once, and feeds himself with the extensive 
delight! But these are joys that do not belong to 
mortality, 

XIII. Thus far 1 have indulged some loose and uncon- 
nected thoughts and remarks with regard to the different 
powers <»f wit, memory, and judgment. For it w r as very 
difficult to throw them inlo a regular form or method 
without more room. Let us now with more regularity 
treat of the memory alone. 



OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 131 

"Though the memory be a natural faculty of the mind 
of man, and belongs to spirits which are not incarnate- 
though the mind itself is immaterial — a principle 
superadded to matter, yet the brain is the instrument 
which it employs in all its operations. Though it is 
not matter, yet it works by means of matter, and its 
operations are materially affected by the condition of the 
brain, its principal organ. Through the medium of the 
brain and nervous system the mind obtains a knowledge 
of the external world. The memory receives impres- 
sions of facts and events, and treasures up their images; 
and it also becomes the retentive receptacle of the ideas 
and conclusions derived from meditation and reflection. 

XIV. The immaturity of the brain in early life renders 
it incapable of becoming the instrument of powerful 
mental actions, and the images which are then impressed 
upon the memory are chiefly those of facts and events. 
The memory grows from the period of infancy and 
may be greatly improved by proper exercise, or injured 
by sloth. 

XV. The improvement of the memory requires the 
cultivation of habits of attention, or of intense applica- 
tion of the mind to whatever is, at the time, its more 
immediate object of pursuit. Slight impressions are 
soon forgotten, but whatever is impressed upon the 
mind by fixed attention and close thought, is indelibly 
stamped upon the memory and becomes as durable as 
the mind itself. 

Many persons of advanced age will tell long stories of 
things which occurred during the early period of their 
lives, and were so deeply engraven upon the memory as 
to be retained in their most minute particulars through a 
long succession of years. 

XVI. The memory is more or less affected by 
various diseases of the body; chiefly from injuries of 



132 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

the head, affections of the brain, fever, and diseases of 
extreme debility. Numerous cases are on record of per- 
sons who, from the influence of disease, have recovered 
a knowledge of things long forgotten; and of others who 
have lost all knowledge of persons and things. 

Aman who was born in Franco, but had spent most of his 
liiV in England and entirely lost the habit of speaking French, 

received an injury on the head, and, during the illness which 
followed, always spoke in the French language. Another, 
when recovering from an injury of the head, spoke the W< 1 li 
language, which he learned in childhood, but had subsequently 
entirely forgotten. Another entirely lost his mental faculties 
during a severe illness. For several weeks subsequent to his 
recovery he remembered nothing and understood nothing; 
but at the expiration of two or three months he gradually 
recovered his memory and other faculties. 

Impressions which are deeply engraven upon the mind 
appear never to be effaced; but the power of calling 
them up is sometimes lost, until sickness or some other 
cause restores that power. The faculties of the mind 
are greatly assisted or injured by the condition of the 
brain, which in most aged people relaxes its energies, 
and a want of close attention to passing events prevents 
lasting impressions from being made on the memory. 

XVII. The brain being the chief instrument of the 
mind, whatever tends to promote a healthful and vigor- 
ous condition of that organ may help to preserve the 
memory; but excess of wine, or luxury of any kind, as 
well as excess in study and application to the business 
of life, may injure the memory by overstraining and 
weakening the brain. 

XVIII. A good memory has these several qualifica- 
tions: 

1. It is ready to receive and admit, with great ease, 
the various ideas both of words and things which are 
learned or taught. 2. It is large and copious to 
treasure up these ideas in great uumber and variety. 



OF [MPROVING THE MEMORY. 13.3 

3. It is strong and durable to retain for a considerable 
time those words or thoughts which are committed to it. 

4. It is faithful and active to suggest and recollect, upon 
every proper occasion, all those words or thoughts which 
have been recommended to its care, or treasured up in it. 

XIX. Xow in every one of these qualifications a 
memory may be injured or may be improved : yet I 
shall not insist distinctly on these particulars, but only 
in general propose a few rules or directions whereby 
(li is noble faculty of memory, in all its branches and 
qualifications, may be preserved or assisted, and show 
what are the practices that both by reason and experi- 
ence have been found of hapx>y influence to this purpose. 

XX. There is one great and general direction which 
belongs to the improvement of other powers as well as of 
the memory, and that is to keep it always in due and 
proper exercise. Many acts by degrees form a habit, 
and thereby the ability or power is strengthened and 
made more ready to appear again in action. Our 
memories should be used and inured from childhood to 
bear a moderate quantity of knowledge let into them 
early, and they will thereby become strong for use and 
service. As any limb well and duly exercised grows 
stronger, the nerves of the body are corroborated thereby. 
Milo took up a calf and daily carried it on his shoulders ; 
as the calf grew, his strength grew also, and he at last 
arrived at firmness of joints enough to bear the bull. 

XXI. Our memories will be in a great measure 
moulded and formed, improved or injured, according 
to the exercise of them. If we never use them, they 
will be almost lost. Those who are wont to converse or 
read but a few things only, will retain but a few in their 
memory ; those who are used to remember things but for 
an hour, and charge their memories with it no longer, 
will retain them but an hour before they vanish. And 



134 OF IMPROVING Tin; MEMORY. 

lei words be remembered as well as things, that so you 
may acquire a copia verborum as well as rerum, and be 
more ready to express your mind on all occasions. 

XXII. Yet there should be a caution given in such cases: 
the memory of a child or any infirm person should not 
be overburdened ; for a limb or a joint may be over- 
strained by being too much loaded, and its natural power 
never be recovered. Teachers should wisely judge of 
the power and constitution of youth, and impose no more 
on them than they are able to bear with cheerfulness and 
improvement. 

And particularly they should take care that the memory 
of the learner be not too much crowded with a tumultu- 
ous heap or overbearing multitude of documents or 
ideas at one time; this is the way to remember nothing, 
one idea effaces another. An overgreedy grasp does not 
retain the largest handful. But it is the exercise of 
memory with a due moderation, that is one general rule 
towards the improvement of it. . 

XXIII. The particular rules are such as these : 

1. Due attention and diligence to learn and know things, 
which we would commit to our remembrance, is a rule 
of great necessity in this case. When the attention is 
strongly fixed to any particular subject, all that is said 
concerning it makes a deeper impression upon the mind. 
There are some persons who complain they can not 
remember divine or human discourses which the3 r hear, 
when, in truth, their thoughts are wandering half the 
time, or they hear with such coldness and indifference, 
and a trifling temper of spirit, that it is no wonder the 
things which are read or spoken make but a slight 
impression on the mind and get no firm footing in the 
seat of memory, bul soon vanish and are lost. 

It is needful, therefore, if we would maintain a long 
remembrance of the things which we read, or hear, that 



or TMmovTNr, ttti: memory. 135 

we should engage our delight and pleasure in those subjects, 
and use the other methods which arc before prescribed 
in order to fix the attention. Sloth, indolence, andidleness, 
will no more bless the mind with intellectual riches, than 
it Avill fill the hand with gain, the field with corn, or the 
purse Avitli treasure. 

Let it be added also, that not only the slothful and the 
negligent deprive themselves of proper knowledge for the 
furniture of their memory, but such as appear to have 
active spirits, who are ever skimming over the surface 
of things with a volatile temper, will lix nothing in their 
minds. Vario will spend whole mornings in running 
over loose and unconnected pages, and with fresh 
curiosity is ever glancing over new words and ideas that 
strike his present fancy ; he is fluttering over a thousand 
objects of art and science, and yet treasures up but little 
knowledge. There must be the labor and the diligence 
of close attention to particular subjects of thought and 
inquiry, which only can impress what we read or think 
of upon the remembering faculty of man. 

2. Clear and distinct apprehension of the things which ice 
commit to memory is necessary in order to make them stick 
and dwell there. If we w^ould remember words, or learn 
the names of persons or things, we should have them 
recommended to our memory by a clear and distinct 
pronunciation, spelling, or writing. If we would treasure 
up the ideas of things, notions, propositions, arguments, 
and sciences, these should be recommended also to our 
memory by a clear and distinct perception of them. 
Faint, glimmering, and confused ideas will vanish like 
images seen in twilight. Every thing wiiich we learn 
should be conveyed to the understanding in the plainest 
expressions, without any ambiguity, that we may not mis- 
take what we desire to remember. This is a general rule, 
whether we would employ the memory about words or 



136 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

things, though it must be confessed that mere sounds 
and words are much harder to get by heart than the 
knowledge of things and real images. 

For this reason take heed (as I have often before warned) 
that you do not take up with words instead of things, nor mere 
sounds instead of real sentiments and ideas. Many a lad 
forgets what has been taught him, merely because he 
never well understood it; he never clearly and distinctly 
took in the meaning of those sounds and syllables which 
he was required to get by heart. 

3. Method and regularity in the things we commit to memory, 
is necessary in order to make them take more effectual 
possession of the mind and abide there long. As much 
as systematical learning is decried by some vain and 
humorous triflers of the age, it is certainly the happiest 
way to furnish the mind with a variety of knowledge, 

Whatsoever you would trust to your memory, let it be 
disposed in a proper method, connected well together, and 
referred to distinct and particular heads or classes, both 
general and particular. 

An apothecary's boy will much sooner learn all the medicines 
in Ins masters'* shop, when they are ranged in boxes or on 
shelves according to their distinct natures, whether herbs, 
drugs, or minerals, whether leaves or roots, whether chemical 
or galenical preparations, whether simple or compound, etc., 
and when they are placed in some order according to their 
nature, their fluidity, or their consistence, etc., in phials, 
bottles, gallipots, casts, drawers, etc.; so the genealogy of a 
family is more easily learned when you begin at some great- 
grandfather as the root, and distinguish the stock, the large 
boughs, the lesser branches, the twigs, and the buds, till you 
come down to the present infants of the house. And, indeed, 
all sorts of arts and sciences taught in a method something of 
this kind are more happily committed to the mind or memory. 

4. A frequent review, and careful repetition of the things 

we would learn, and an abridgment of them in a narrow 
compass for this end, has a great influence to fix them in the 
memory : therefore it is that the rules of grammar, and 



OF IMPROVING TTTi: MEMORY. 137 

useful examples of the variation of words, and the 
peculiar forms of speech in any language, are so often 
appointed by the masters as lessons for the scholars to 
be frequently repeated; and they are contracted into 
tables for frequent review, that what is not fixed in the 
mind at first, may be stamped upon the memory by a 
perpetual survey and rehearsal. 

Repetition is so very useful a practice, that Mnemon, even 
from his youth to his old age, never read a book without 
making some small points, dashes, or hooks, in the 
margin, to mark what parts of the discourse were proper for 
review: and when he came to the end of a section or chapter ; 
he always shut his hook and recollected all the sentiments or 
expressions he had remarked, so that he could give a tolerable 
analysis and abstract of every treatise he had read, just after he 
had finished it. Thence he became so well furnished with a 
rich variety of knowledge. 

Even when a person is hearing a sermon or a lecture, 
he may give his thoughts leave now and then to step 
back so far as to recollect the several heads of it from the 
beginning, two or three times before the lecture or 
sermon is finished: the omission or the loss of a sentence 
or two among the amplifications is richly compensated 
by preserving in the mind the method and order of the 
whole discourse in the most important branches of it. 

If we would fix in the memory the discourses we 
hear, or what we design to speak, let us abstract them 
into brief compends, and review them often. Lawyers 
and divines have need of such assistances: they write 
down short notes or hints of the principal heads of what 
they desire to commit to their memory in order to preach 
or plead, for such abstracts or epitomes may be reviewed 
much sooner, and the several amplifying sentiments or 
sentences will be more easily invented or recollected in 
their proper places. The art of short-hand is of excellent 
use for this as well as other purposes. It must be 
acknowledged, that those who scarcely ever take a pen 



138 OF IMPROVING TTTE MEBCOBY. 

in their hand to write short notes or hints of what they 
are to speak or learn, who never try to cast things into 
method or to contract the survey of them in order to 
com init them to their memory, had need have a double 
degree of that natural power of retaining and recollect- 
ing what they read, or hear, or intend to speak. 

Do not plunge yourself into oilier business or studies, 
amusements or recreations, immediately after yon have 
attended upon instruction, if you can well avoid it. 
Get time, if possible, to recollect the things you have heard, 
that they may not be washed all away from the mind by 
a torrent of other occurrences or engagements, nor lost 
in the crowd or clamor of other loud or importunate 
affairs. 

Talking over the things which you have read with 
your companions on the first proper opportunity you 
have for it, is a most useful manner of review or repeti- 
tion, in order to fix them upon the mind. Teach them 
your younger friends, in order to establish your own 
knowledge while you communicate it to them. The 
animal powers of your tongue and of your ear, as well as 
your intellectual faculties, will all join together to help 
the memory. Hermetas studied hard in a remote corner 
of the land, and in solitude, yet he became a very learned 
man. He seldom was so happy as to enjoy suitable 
society at home, and therefore he talked over to the 
fields and the woods in the evening what lie had been 
reading in the day, and found so considerable advantage 
by this practice that he recommended it to all his friends 
since he could set his probatum to it for seventeen years. 

5. Pleasure and delight in the things we learn give great 
assistance towards the re membra nee of them. AAliatsoever 
therefore we desire that a child should commit to his 
memory, make it as pleasant to him as possible; endeavor 
to search his genius and his temper, and let him take in 



OF IMTTCOVTNG TTTE MEMORY. 139 

the instructions you give him or the lessons yon appoint 
him, as far as may be, in a way suited to his natural 

inclination. 

Fabellus would never learn any moral lessons till they were 
moulded into the form of some fiction or fable like those of 
iEsop, or till they put on the appearance of a parable, like 

those wherein our blessed Saviour taught the ignorant world ; 
then he remembered well the emblematical instructions that 
were given him, and learned to practice the moral sense and 
meaning of them. Young Spectorius was taught virtue by set- 
ting before him a variety of examples of the various good 
qualities in human life ; and he was appointed daily to repeat 
some story of this kind out of Valerius Maximum. The same lad 
was early instructed to avoid the common vices and follies of 
youth in the same manner. This is akin to the method where- 
by t lie Lacedaemonians trained up their children to hate drunk- 
enness and intemperance, viz., by bringing a drunken man 
into their company and showing them what a beast he had 
made of himself. Such visible and sensible forms of instruc- 
tion will make long and useful impressions upon the memory. 

Children may be taught to remember many things in 
a way of sport and play. Some young creatures have 
learned their letters and syllables, and the pronouncing 
and spelling of words, by having them pasted or written 
upon many little flat tablets or dies. Some have been 
taught vocabularies of different languages, having a word 
in one tongue written on one side of these tablets, and 
the same word in another tongue on the other side of 
them. 

There might be also many entertaining contrivances 
for the instruction of children in several things relating 
to geometry, geography, and astronomy, in such alluring 
and illusory methods, which would make a most agree- 
able and lasting impression on their minds. 

G. The memory of useful things may receive considerable aid 
if they are thrown into verse; for the numbers and measures 
and rhyme, according to the poesy of different languages, 
have a considerable influence upon mankind, both to 
make them receive with more ease the things proposed 



140 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

to their observation, and preserve them longer in their 
remembrance. How many arc there of the common 
affairs of hnman life which have been taught in early 
years by the help of rhyme, and have been like nails 
fastened in a sure place and riveted by daily use. 

So the number of the days of each month are engraven 
on the memory of thousands by these four lines : 

Thirty days hath September, 
June, and April, and November; 
February twenty-eight alone; 
All the rest have thirty-one. 

Ro have rules of health been proscribed in the book 
called Schola Salemitani, and many a person has preserved 
himself doubtless from evening gluttony, and the pains 
and diseases consequent upon it, by these two lines: 

Ex magna ecena stoniaeho fit maxima poena: 
Ut sis nocte levis, sit tibi ccena brevis. 

Englished : 

To be easy all night 
Let your supper be light; 
Or else you'll complain 
Of a stomach in pain. 

And a hundred proverbial sentences in various lan- 
guages are formed into rhyme or a verse, whereby they 
are made to stick upon the memory of old and young, 

It is from this principle that moral rules have been cast into 
a poetic mould from all antiquity. So the golden verses of the 
Pythagoreans in Greek; Cato's distiches De Moribm in Latin, 
Lilly's precepts to scholars, called Qui Jfi/u, with many others; 
and this has been done with very good success. A line or two 
of this kind, recurring on the memory, have often guarded 
youth from a temptation to vice and folly, as well as put them 
in mind of their present duty. 

7. It is also by this association of ideas that we may 
better imprint any new ideas upon the memory, by join- 
ing with it some circumstance of the time, place, company, etc., 



OK IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 141 

wherein we first observed, heard, or learned it. W we 
would recover an absent idea, it is useful to recollect 
those circumstances of time, place, etc. The substance 
will many times be recovered and brought to the thoughts 
by recollecting the shadow : a man recurs to our fancy 
by remembering his garment, his size or stature, his 
office or employment, etc. A beast, bird, or fish, by its 
color, figure or motion, by the cage, court-yard, or cistern 
wherein it was kept. 

To this head also w r e may refer that remembrance of 
names and things which may be derived from our recol- 
lection of their likeness to other things which w r e know ; 
either their resemblance in name, character, form, 
accident, or any thing that belongs to them. An idea or 
word which has been lost or forgotten, has been often 
recovered by hitting upon some other kindred word or 
idea which has the nearest resemblance to it, and that in 
letters, syllables, or sound of the name, as well as proper- 
ties of the thing. 

If we would remember Hippocrates, or Galen, or 
Paracelsus, think of a physician' s name beginning with H, 
G, or P. If we will remember Ovidius Naso, we may 
represent a man with a large nose; if Plato, we may think 
upon a person with large shoulders, if Crispus, w r e shall 
fancy another with curled hair, and so of other things. 

And some times a new or strange idea may be fixed in 
the memory by considering its contrary or opposite. So 
if we can not hit on the w r ord Goliath, the remembrance 
of David may recover it; or the name of a Trojan may be 
recovered by thinking of a Greek, etc. 

8. In such cases wherein it may be done, seek after a 
local memory, or a remembrance of what you have read by 
the side or page where it is written or printed; whether 
the right or the left, Whether at the top, the middle, or 
the bottom, whether at the beginning of a chapter or a 



142 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

paragraph or at the end of it. It has been some advan- 
tage, for this reason, to accustom oneself to books of the 
same edition; and it has been of constant and special use 
to divines and private Christians to be furnished with 
several Bibles of the same edition; that wheresoever they 
are, "whether in their chamber, parlor, or study, in the 
yotmger or elder years of lite, they may find the chapters 
and verses standing in the parts of the page. 

This is also a great convenience to be observed by 
printers in the new editions of grammars, psalms, Testa- 
ments, etc., to print every chapter, paragraph, or verse. 
in the same part of the page as the former, that so it may 
yield a happy assistance to those young learners who 
find, and even feel, the advantages of a local memory. 

9. Let every thing we desire to remember be fairly and 
distinctly written and divided into period*, with large charac- 
ters in the beginning, for by this means we shall the more 
readily imprint the matter and words on our minds, and 
recollect them with a glance, the more remarkable the 
writing appears to the eye. This sense conveys the ideas 
to the fancy better than any other; and what we have 
seen is not so soon forgotten as what we have only 
heard. What Horace affirms of the mind or passions 
may be said also of the memory : 

Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem, 
Quam quae sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus, et quae 
Ipse sibi tradit spectator. 

Applied thus in English : 

Sounds which address the ear are lost and die 
In one short hour; but that which strikes the eye 
Lives long upon the mind; the faithful sight 
Engraves the knowledge with a beam of light. 

For the assistance of weak memories the first letters or 
words of every period, in every page, may be written in 
distinct colors: yellow, green, red, black, etc. ; and if you 



OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 143 

observe the same order of colors in the following sen- 
tences, it will be still the better. This will make a 
greater impression and may much aid the memory. 

Under this head we may take notice of the advantage 
which the memory gains by having the several objects of our 
learning drawn out into schemes and tables: matters of 
mathematical science and natural philosophy are not only 
let into the understanding, but preserved in the memory by 
figures and diagrams. The situation of the several parts 
of the earth are better learned by one day' s conversing 
with a map or a sea-chart, than by merely reading the 
description of their situation a hundred times over in 
books of geography. So the constellations in astronomy, 
and their position in the heavens, are more easily 
remembered by hemispheres of the stars well drawn. It 
is by having such sort of memorials, figures, and tables, 
hung round our studies or places of residence or resort, 
that our memory of these things will be greatly assisted 
and improved, as I have shown at large in the twentieth 
chapter. 

I might add here also, that once writing over what we 
design to remember, and giving due attention to what 
we write, will fix it more in the mind than reading it jive 
times. And in the same manner, if we had a plan of the 
naked lines of longitude and latitude projected on the 
meridian printed for this use, a learner might much 
more speedily advance himself in the knowledge of 
geography by his own drawing the figures of all the 
parts of the world upon it by imitation, than by many 
days' survey of a map of the world so printed. The 
same may be said also concerning the constellations of 
heaven, drawn by the learner on a naked projection of 
the circles of the sphere upon the plane of the equator. 

10. It has sometimes been the practice of men to im- 
print names or sentences on their memory by taking the 



144 OF IMPROVING THE MEMORY. 

first letters of every word of that sentence, or of those 
names, and making anew word of mem. Ho the name of 
the Maccabees is borrowed from the first letters of the 
Hebrew words, which make the sentence Mi Canioka 
Bealim Jehovah, i. e., Who is like thee among the gods? 
which was written on their banners. Jesus Christ our 
Saviour has been called a fish, in Greek ixoys by the 
fathers, because these are the first letters in those Greek 
words, Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Saviour. So the 
word Vibgyor teaches us to remember the order of the 
seven original colors, as they appear by the sunbeams 
cast through a prism on white paper, or formed by the 
sun in a rainbow, according to the different refrangi- 
bility of the rays, viz., violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, 
orange, and red. 

Other artificial helps to memory may be just men- 
tioned here. 

Dr. Grey, in his book called Manor J a Technics has ex- 
changed the figures 1, 2, 8, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, for some consonants, 
&i t?j £»/i li &iP) &1 n ? and some vowels, a, e, /, o, w, and several 
diphthongs, and thereby formed words that denote numbers, 
which may be more easily remembered: and Mr. Lowe has 
improved his scheme in a small pamphlet called Mnemonics 
J)( lineated; whereby in seven leaves he has comprised almost 
an infinity of things, in science and in common life, and re- 
duced them to a sort of measure like Latin verse ; though the 
words may be supposed to be very barbarous, being such a 
mixture of vowels and consonants as are very unfit for 
harmony. 

But after all, the very writers on this subject have 
confessed that several of those artificial helps of memory 
are so cumbersome as not to be suitable to every temper 
or person; nor are they of any use for the delivery of 
a discourse by memory, nor of much service in learning 
the sciences: but they may be sometimes practiced for 
the assisting our remembrance of certain sentences, 
numbers, and nan 



CHAPTER XIV. 

OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

I. When a subject is proposed to your thoughts, con- 
sider whether it be knowable at all, or not ; and then 
whether it be not above the reach of your inquiry and 
knowledge in tho present state ; and remember, that it 
is great waste of time to busy yourselves too much 
amongst unsear enables ; the chief use of these studies is 
to keep the mind humble, by finding its own ignorance 
and weakness. 

II. Consider again whether the matter be worthy 
of your inquiry at all; and then how far it may be 
worthy of your present search and labor according to 
your age, your time of life, your station in the world, 
your capacity, your profession, your chief design and 
end. There are many things worth inquiry to one man, 
which are not so to another ; and there are things that 
may deserve the study of the same person in one part 
of life, which would be improper or impertinent at 
another. To read books of the art of preaching, or dis- 
putes about church discipline, are proper for a theolog- 
ical student in the end of his academical studies, but not 
at the beginning of them. To pursue mathematical 
studies very largely may be useful for a professor of 
philosophy, but not for a divine. 

III. Consider whether the subject of your inquiry 
be easy or difficult ; whether you have sufficient foun- 
dation or skill, furniture and advantage for the pursuit 
of it. It would be madness for a young statuary to at- 
tempt at first to carve a Venus or a Mercury, and espe- 
cially without proper tools. And it is equal folly for a 



14G OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

man to pretend to make great improvements in natural 
philosophy without due experiments. 

IV. Consider whether the subject be any ways 
useful or not before you engage intlie study of it : often 
put this question to yourselves : Cui bono ? To what pur- 
pose? What end will it attain? Is it for the glory of 
God, for the good of men, for your own advantage, for 
the removal of any natural or moral evil, for the attain- 
ment of any natural or moral good? Will the profit be 
equal to the labor? There are many subtle imperti- 
nences learned in the- schools; many painful trifles, even 
among the mathematieal theorems and problems; many 
difficiles nngee, or laborious follies of*various kinds, which 
some ingenious men have been engaged in. A due reflec- 
tion upon these things will call the mind away from vain 
amusements, and save much time. 

V. Consider what tendency it has to make you 
wiser and better, as well as to make you more learned ; 
and those questions which tend to wisdom and prudence 
in our conduct among men, as well as piety toward God, 
are doubtless more important, and preferable beyond all 
those inquiries which only improve our knowledge in 
mere speculations. 

VI. If the question appear to be well worth your dili- 
gent application, and you are furnished with the neces- 
sary requisites to pursue it, then consider whether it 
be dressed up and entangled in more words than is 
needful, and contain or include more complicated ideas 
than is necessary ; and if so, endeavor to reduce it to a 
greater simplicity and plainness, which will make the 
inquiry and argument easier and plainer all the way. 

VII. If it be stated in an improper, obscure, or irreg- 
ular form, it may be meliorated by changing the phrase, 
or transposing the parts of it ; but be careful always to 
keep the grand and important point of inquiry the 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 147 

same in your new staling the question. Little tricks 
and deceits of sophistry, by sliding in or leaving out such 
words as entirely change the question should be aban- 
doned and renounced by all fair disputants and honest 
searchers after truth. 

The stating a question with clearness and justice goes 
a great way many times towards the answering it. The 
greatest part of true knowledge lies in a distinct percep- 
tion of things which are in themselves distinct ; and 
some men give more light and knowledge by the bare 
stating of the question with perspicuity and justice, than 
others by talking of it in gross confusion for whole hours 
together. To state a question is but to separate and 
disentangle the parts of it from one another, as well as 
from every thing which does not concern the question, 
and then lay the disentangled parts of the question indue 
order and method ; oftentimes, without more ado, this 
fully resolves the doubt, and shows the mind where 
the truth lies, without argument or dispute. 

VIII. If the question relate to an axiom, or first 
principle of truth, remember that a long train of conse- 
quences may depend upon it ; therefore it should not 
be suddenly admitted or received. 

It is not enough to determine the truth of a proposi- 
tion, much less to raise it to the honor of an axiom or 
first principle, to say that it has been believed through 
many ages, that it has been received by many nations, 
that it is almost universally acknowledged, or nobody 
denies it, that it is established by human laws, or that 
temporal penalties or reproaches will attend the dis- 
belief of it. 

IX. Nor is it enough to forbid any proposition the 
title of axiom, because it has been denied by some per- 
sons and doubted of by others; for some persons have 
been unreasonably credulous, and others have been as 



118 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

unreasonably skeptical. Then only should a proposi- 
tion be called an axiom, or a sell' evident truth, when, 
by a moderate attention to the subject and predicate, 
their connection appears in so plain a light, and so clear 
an evidence, as needs no third idea, or middle term, 
to prove them to be connected. 

X. While you are in search after truth in questions of ' 
a doubtful nature, or such as you have not yet thoroughly 
examined, keep up a just indifference to either side of 
the question, if you would be led honestly into the truth: 
for a desire or inclination leaning to either side biases 
the judgment strangely: whereas by this indifference for 
every thing but truth, you will be excited to examine 
fairly instead of presuming, and your assent will be 
secured from going beyond your evidence. 

XT. For the most part people are born to their 
opinions, and never question the truth of what their 
family, or country, or their party profess. They clothe 
their minds as they do their bodies, after the fashion in 
vogue, nor one of a hundred ever examined their prin- 
ciples. It is suspected of lukewarmness to suppose ex- 
amination necessary ; and it will be charged as a tendency 
to apostasy, if we go about to examine them. Persons 
are applauded for presuming they are in the right, and, 
as Mr. Locke saith, he that considers and inquires into 
the reason of things is counted a foe to orthodoxy, be- 
cause possibly he may deviate from some of the received 
doctrines. And thus men, without any industry or 
acquisition of their own (lazy and idle as they are) in- 
herit local truths, i. c, the truths of that place where they 
live, and are inured to assent without evidence. 

This hath a long and unhappy influence; for if a man 
can bring his mind once to be positive and fierce for 
propositions whose evidence he hath never examined, 
ami that in matters of the greatest concernment, he will 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 149 

naturally follow this short and easy way of judging and 
believing in cases of less moment, and build all his 
opinions upon insufficient grounds. 

XII. In determining a question, especially when it is 
a matter of difficulty and importance, do not take up 
with partial examination, but turn your thoughts on 
all sides, to gather in all the light you can towards the 
solution of it. Take time and use all the helps that are 
to be attained, before you fully determine, except only 
where present necessity of action calls for speedy deter- 
mination. 

If you would know what may be called a partial exam- 
ination, take these instances, viz.: 

1. When you examine an object of sense or inquire into 
some matter of sensation at too great a distance from the 
object, or in an inconvenient situation of it, or under any 
indisposition of the organs or any disguise whatsoever 
relating to the medium or the organ of the object itself, 
or when you examine it by one sense only, where others 
might be employed; or when you inquire into it by 
sense only, without the use of the understanding, and 
judgment, and reason. 

2. If it be a question which is to be determined by 
reason and argument, then your examination is 
partial when yon turn the question only in one light and do 
not turn it on all sides: when you look upon it only in 
its relations and aspects to one sort of object, and not to 
another ; when you consider only the advantages of it, 
and the reasons for it, and neglect to think of the reasons 
against it, and never survey its inconveniences too; when 
you determine on a sudden, before you have given your- 
self a due time for weighing all circumstances, etc. 

3. Again, if it be a question of fact, depending upon 
the report or testimony of men, your examination is but 
partial when you inquire only what one man or a few 



150 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

say, and avoid the testimony of others j wlien you only ask 
what thorn report who were not eye or ear witnesses, and neglect 
those icho saw and heard it; when you content yourself with 
mere loose and general talk about it, and never enter 
into particulars ; or when there are many who deny the 
fact, and you never concern youself about their reasons 
for denying- it, but resolve to believe only those who 
affirm it. 

4. There is yet a further fault in your partial examina- 
tion of any question, when you resolve to determine it 
by natural reason only, where you might be assisted by 
supernatural revelation ; or when you decide the point 
by some word or sentence, or by some part of revelation 
without comparing it with other parts, which might give 
further light and better help to determine the meaning. 

5. It is also a culpable partiality, if you examine some 
doubtful or pretended vision, or revelation, without the use 
of reason, or without the use of that revelation which is 
undoubted and sufficiently proved to be divine. These 
are all instances of imperfect examination: and we 
should never determine a question by one or two lights, 
where we may have the advantage of three or four. 

XIII. Take heed lest some darling notion, some 
favorite hypothesis, some beloved doctrine, or some com- 
mon but unexamined opinion, be made a test of the 
truth or falsehood of all other propositions about the 
same subject. Dare not build much upon such a 
notion or doctrine till it be very fully examined, accu- 
rately adjusted, and sufficiently confirmed. Some per- 
sons, indulging such a practice, have been led into long 
ranks of errors ; they have found themselves involved in 
a train of mistakes, by taking up some petty hypothesis 
or principle, either in philosophy, politics, or religion, 
upon slight and insufficient grounds, and establishing 
that as a test and rule by which to judge of all other 
things. 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 151 

XIV. For the same reason, have a care of suddenly 
determining any one question, on which the determi- 
nation oi* any kindred or parallel ease will easily or 
nat urally follow. Take heed of receiving any wrong turn 
in your early judgment of things ; be watchful as far as 
possible against any false bias, which may be given to 
the understanding, especially in younger years. The ■ 
indulgence of some one silly opinion, or the giving credit 
to one foolish, fable, lays the mind open to be imposed 
upon by many. 

The ancient Eomans were taught to believe that Eomulus 
and Remus, the founders of their state and empire, were ex- 
posed in the woods and nursed by a wolf : this story prepared 
their minds for the reception of any tales of the like nature re- 
lating to other countries. Trojus Pompeius would enforce the 
belief, that one of the ancient kings of Spain was also nursed 
and suckled by a hart, from the fable of Romulus and Remus. 
It was by the same influence they learned to give up their 
hopes and fears to omens and soothsaying, when they were 
once persuaded that the greatness of their empire and the glory 
of Romulus their founder, were predicted by the happy omen 
of twelve vultures appearing to him when he sought where to 
build the city. They readily received all the following legends, 
of prodigies, auguries, and prognostics, for many ages together, 
with which Livy has furnished his huge history. 

So the child who is once taught to believe any one 
occurrence to be a good or evil omen, or any day of the 
month or week to be lucky or unlucky, hath a wide 
inroad made on the soundness of his understanding in the 
following judgments of his life ; he lies ever open to all 
the silly impressions and idle tales of nurses, and imbibes 
many a foolish story with greediness, which he must 
unlearn again if he ever becomes acquainted with truth 
and w r isdom. 

XV. Have a care of interesting your warm and re- 
ligious zeal in those matters which are not sufficiently 
evident in themselves, or which are not fully and thor- 
oughly examined and proved ; for this zeal, whether 



152 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

right or wrong, when it is once engaged "will have a 
powerful influence to establish your own minds in those 
doctrines which are really doubtful, and to stop up all 
the avenues of further light. This will bring upon the 
soul a sort of sacred awe and dread of heresy, with a 
divine concern to maintain whatever opinion you have 
espoused as divine, though perhaps you have espoused 
it without any just evidence, and ought to have re- 
nounced it as false and pernicious. 

We ought to be zealous for the most important points 
of our religion, and to contend earnestly for the faith 
once delivered to the saints ; but we ought not to employ 
this sacred fervor of spirit in the service of any article 
till we have geen it made out with plain and strong con- 
viction, that it is a necessary or important point of faith 
or practice, and is either an evident dictate of the light 
of nature, or an assured article of revelation. Zeal 
must not reign over the powers of our understanding, 
but obey them : God is the God of light and truth, a God 
of reason and order, and He never requires mankind to 
use their natural faculties amiss for the support of His 
cause. Even the most mysterious and sublime doctrines 
of revelation are not to be believed without a just reason 
for it ; nor should our pious affections be engaged in the 
defense of them till we have plain and convincing proof 
that they are certainly revealed, though perhaps we may 
never in this world attain to such clear and distinct ideas 
of them as Ave desire. 

XYT. As a warm zeal ought never to be employed in 
the defense of any revealed truth, till our reason be well 
convinced of the revelation ; so neither should wit and 
banter, jest and ridicule, ever be indulged to oppose 
or assault any doctrines of professed revelation, till 
reason has proved that they are not really revealed ; and 
even then these methods should be used very seldom, and 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 153 

with the ul most caution and prudence. Raillery and wit 
were never made to answer our inquiries after truth, and 
to determine a question of rational controversy ; though 

they may sometimes be serviceable to expose to con- 
tempt those inconsistent follies which have been first 
abundantly refuted by argument ; they serve indeed only 
to cover nonsense with shame, when reason has first 
proved it to be mere nonsense. 

It is therefore a silly and most unreasonable test 
which some of our deists have introduced to judge of 
divine revelation, viz., to try if it will bear ridicule and 
laughter. They are effectually beaten in all their com- 
bats at the weapons of men, that is, reason and argu- 
ment ; and it would not be unjust (though it is a little 
uncourtly) to say that they would now attack our re- 
ligion with the talents of a vile animal, that is, grin and 
grimace. 

I can not think that a jester or a monkey, a droll 
or a puppet, can be proper judges or deciders of con- 
troversy. That which dresses up all things in disguise 
is not likely to lead us into any just sentiments about 
them. Plato or Socrates, Caesar or Alexander, might 
have a fool's coat clapped upon any of them, and per- 
haps, in this disguise, neither the wisdom of the one, 
nor the majesty of the other, would secure them from- a 
sneer ; this treatment, would never inform us whether 
they were kings or slaves, whether they were fools or 
philosophers. The strongest reasoning, the best sense, 
and the politest thoughts, may be set in a most ridicu- 
lous light by this grinning faculty : the most obvious 
axioms of eternal truth may be dressed in a very foolish 
form, and wrapped up in artful absurdities by this tal- 
ent ; but they are truth, and reason, and good sense still. 
Euclid, with all his demonstrations, might be so covered 
and overwhelmed with banter, that a beginner in the 



154 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

mathematics might be tempted to doubt whether his 
theorems were true or not, and to imagine they could 
never be useful. So, weaker minds might be easily pre- 
judiced against the noblest principles of truth and good- 
ness ; and the younger part of mankind might be beat 
off from the belief of the most serious, the most rational 
and important points, even of natural religion, by the 
impudent jests of a profane wit. The moral duties of 
the civil life, as well as the articles of Christianity, may 
be painted over with the colors of folly, and exposed 
upon a stage, so as to ruin all social and personal virtue 
among the gay and thoughtless part of the world. 

XVII. It should be observed also, that these very 
men cry out loudly against the use of all severe railing 
and reproach in debates, and all penalties and perse- 
cutions of the state, in order to convince the minds 
and consciences of men, and determine points of truth 
and error* Now I renounce these penal and smarting 
methods of conviction as much as they do, and yet I 
think still these are every whit as wise, as just, and as 
good for this purpose as banter and ridicule. Why 
should rmblic mockery in print, or a merry joke upon a 
stage, be a better test of trut h than severe, railing sar- 
casm, and public persecutions and penalties'? Why 
should more light be derived to the understanding by a 
song of scurrilous mirth, or a witty ballad, than there is 
by a rude cudgel ? When a professor of any religion is 
set up to be laughed at, I can not see how this should 
help us to judge of the truth of his faith any better than 
if he were scourged. The jeers of a theater, the pil- 
lory, and the whipping-post are very near akin. When 
the person or his opinion is made the jest of the mob, or 
his back the shambles of the executioner, I think there is 
no more conviction in the one than in the other. 

XVIII. Besides, supposing it is but barely possible 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 155 

thai the great God should reveal His mind and will to 
men by miracle, vision, or inspiration, it is a piece of 
contempt and profane insolence to treat any toler- 
able or rational appearance of such a revelation with 
jest and laughter, in order to find whether it be divine 
or not. And yet, if this be a proper test of revelation, 
it may be properly applied to the true as well as the 
false, in order to distinguish it. Suppose a royal procla- 
mation was sent to a distant part of the kingdom, and 
some of the subjects should doubt whether it came 
from the king or not ; is it possible that wit and ridicule 
should ever decide the point ? Or would the prince ever 
think himself treated with just honor to have his procla- 
mation canvassed in this manner on a public stage, and 
become the sport of buffoons, in order to determine the 
question, Whether it is the word of a king or not? 

Let such a sort of writers go on at their dearest 
peril, and sport themselves in their own deceivings ; let 
them at their peril make a jest at the Bible, and treat 
the sacred articles of Christianity with scoff and merri- 
ment: but then let them lay aside all their pretences to 
reason as well as religion. 

XIX. In reading philosophical, moral, or religious 
controversies, never raise your esteem of any opinion 
by the assurance and zeal wherewith the author asserts 
it, nor by the highest praises he bestows upon it ; nor, 
on the other hand, let your esteem of an opinion be 
abated, nor your aversion to it raised by the supercilious 
contempt cast upon it by a warm writer, nor by the sov- 
ereign airs with which he condemns it. Let the force 
of argument alone influence your assent or dissent. 
Take care that your soul be not warped or biased on 
one side or the other by any strains of flattering or 
abusive language ; for their is no question whatsoever 
but what hath some such sort of defenders and opposers. 



156 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

Leave those writers to their own follies who praetiee 
thus upon the weakness of their readers without argu- 
ment 5 leave them to triumph in their own fancied pos- 
sessions and victories : it is oftentimes found that their 
possessions are but a heap of errors, and their boasted 
victories are but overbearing noise and clamor to silence 
the voice of truth. 

In philosophy and religion the bigots of all parties 
are generally the most positive, and deal much in this 
sort of argument. Sometimes these are the weapons of 
pride, for a haughty man supposes all his opinions to be 
infallible, and imagines the contrary sentiments are ever 
ridiculous and not worthy of notice. Sometimes these 
ways of talking are the mere arms of ignorance: the 
men who use them know little of the opposite side of the 
question, and therefore they exult in their own vain pie- 
tenses to knowledge, as though no man of sense could 
oppose their opinions. They rail at an objection against 
their own sentiments, because they can find no other 
answer to it but railing. And men of learning, by their 
excessive vanity, have been sometimes tempted into the 
same insolent practice as Avell as the ignorant. 

Yet let it be remembered too, that there are some 
truths so plain and evident, that the opposition to them 
is strange, unaccountable, and almost monstrous ; and in 
vindication of such truths a writer of good sense may 
sometimes be allowed to use a degree of assurance, and 
pronounce them strongly with an air of confidence, 
while he defends them with reasons of convincing force. 

XX. Sometimes a question may be proposed which 
is of so large and extensive a nature, and refers to such 
a multitude of subjects, as ought not in justice to be 
determined at once by a single argument or answer : as 
if one should ask me, Are you a professed disciple of the 
Stoics or the Platonists? Do you receive an assent to 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 157 

the principles of Gassendus, Descartes, or Sir Isaac 
Newton ? J lave you chosen the hypothesis of Tyclio or 
Copernicus? Have yen devoted yourself to the senti- 
ments of Axminius, or Calvin? Are your notions epis- 
copal, presbyterian, or independent, etc. % I think it 
may be very proper in such cases not to give an answer 
in the gross, but rather to enter into a detail of particu- 
lars and explain one's own sentiments. Perhaps there 
is no man, nor set of men upon earth, whose sentiments 
I entirely follow. God has given me reason to judge for 
myself ; and though I may see sufficient ground to agree 
to the greatest part of the opinions of one person or 
party, yet it does by no means follow that I should re- 
ceive them all. Truth does not always go by the lump, 
nor does error tincture and spoil all the articles of belief 
that some one party professes. 

Since there are difficulties attending every science of 
human knowledge, it is enough for me in the main to 
incline to that side which has the fewest difficulties ; 
and I would endeavor, as far as possible, to correct the 
mistakes or the harsh expressions of one party, by soft- 
ening and reconciling methods, by reducing the extremes, 
and by borrowing some of the best principles or phrases 
from another. Cicero was one of the greatest men of 
antiquity, and gives us an account of the various opinions 
of philosophers in his age ; but he himself was of the 
eclectic sect, and chose out of each of them such positions 
as in his wisest judgment came nearest to the truth. 

XXI. When you are called in the course of life or re- 
ligion to judge and determine concerning any question, 
and to affirm or deny it, take a full survey of the objec- 
tions against it, as Well as the arguments for it, as far 
as your time and circumstances admit, and see on which 
side the preponderation falls. If either the objections 
against any proposition, or the arguments for the defense 



158 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

of it, carry in them most undoubted evidence, and are 
plainly unanswerable, they will and ought to constrain 
the assent, though there may be many seeming prob- 
abilities on the other side, which at iirst sight would 
flatter the judgment to favor it. But where the reasons 
on both sides are very near of equal weight, there sus- 
pension or doubt is our duty, unless in cases wherein 
present determination or practice is required, and there 
we must act according to the present appearing prepon- 
deration of reasons. 

XXII. In matters of moment and importance, it is 
our duty indeed to seek after certain and conclusive 
arguments (if they can be found) in order to determine 
a question ; but where the matter is of little consequence, 
it is not worth our labor to spend much time in seeking 
after certainties ; it is sufficient here, if probable reasons 
offer themselves. And even in matters of greater im- 
portance, especially where daily practice is necessary, 
and where we can not attain any sufficient or certain 
grounds to determine a question on either side, we must 
then take up with such probable arguments as we can 
arrive at. But this general rule should be observed, viz. 
to take heed that our assent be no stronger, or rise no 
higher in the degree of it, than the probable argument 
will support. 

XXIII. There are many things even in religion, as 
well as in philosophy and civil life, which Ave believe 
with very different degrees of assent; and this is, or 
should be, always regulated according to the different 
degrees of evidence which we enjoy: and perhaps there 
are a thousand gradations in our assent to the things we 
believe, because there are thousands of circumstances 
relating to different questions, which increase or diminish 
the evidence we have concerning them, and that in mat- 
ters both of reason and revelation. 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 159 

This direction can not be too often repeated, that onr 
assent ought always to keep pace with our evidence ; 
and our belief of any proposition should never rise 
higher than the proof or evidence we have to support it, 
nor should our faith run faster than right reason can 
encourage it. 

XXIV. Perhaps it will be objected here, Why then 
does our Saviour, in the histories of the Gospel so 
much commend a strong faith, and lay out both His 
miraculous benefits and His praises upon some of those 
poor creatures of little reasoning who professed an as- 
sured belief of His commission and power to heal them f 

I answer the God of nature has given every man his 
own reason to be the judge of evidence to himself in 
particular, and to direct his assent in all things about 
which lie is called to judge ; and even the matters of 
revelation are to be believed by us because our reason 
pronounces the revelation to be true. Therefore, the 
great God will not, or can not, in any instance, require 
us to assent to any thing without reasonable or suffi- 
cient evidence; nor to believe any proposition more 
strongly than what our evidence for it will support. We 
have therefore abundant ground to believe, that those 
persons of whom our Saviour requires such strong faith, 
or whom He commends for their strong faith, had as 
strong and certain evidence of His power and commission 
from the credible and incontestable reports they had 
heard of His miracles, which were wrought on purpose 
to give evidence to His commission. Now in such a 
case, both this strong faith and the open profession of it 
were very worthy of public encouragement and praise 
from our Saviour, because of the great and public op- 
position which the magistrates, and the priests, and 
the doctors of the age made against Jesus, the man of 
Nazareth, when He appeared as the Messiah. 



1G0 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

And besides this it may be reasonably supposed, with 
regard to some of those strong exercises of faith which 
are required and commended, that these believers had 
some further hints of inward evidence and immediate 
revelation from God Himself; as when St. Peter con- 
fesses Christ to be the Son of God, Matt. 16 : 16, 17, our 
blessed Saviour commends him saying, " Blessed art 
thou, Simon Barjona ; " but He adds, " Flesh and blood 
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in 
heaven." 

And the same may be said concerning the faith of 
miracles, the exercise whereof was sometimes required 
of the disciples and others, i. e., when by inward and 
divine influences God assured them such miracles should 
be wrought, their obedience to and compliance with 
these divine illuminations was expected and commended. 
Now this supernatural inspiration carried sufficient evi- 
dence with it to them, as well as to the ancient prophets, 
though we who never felt it are not so capable to judge 
and distinguish it. 

XXV. What is said before concerning truth or doc- 
trines, may be also confirmed concerning duties ; the 
reason of both is the same ; as the one are truths for 
our speculation, the others are truths for our practice. 
Duties which are expressly required in the plain lan- 
guage of Scripture or dictated by the most evident 
reasoning upon first principles, ought to bind our con- 
sciences more than those which are but dubiously in- 
ferred, and that only from occasional occurrences, in- 
cidents, and circumstances: as for instance, I am certain 
that I ought to pray to God; my conscience is bound to 
this, because there are most evident commands for it to 
be found in Scripture, as well as to be derived from rea- 
son. I believe also, that I may pray to God either by a 
written form or without one, because neither reason nor 



OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 161 

revelation expressly requires either of these modes of 
prayer at ail times, or forbids the other. I can not, 
therefore, bind my conscience to practice the one so as 
utterly to renounce the other; but I would practice 
either of them as my reason and other circumstances 
direct me. 

XXYI. We may observe these three rules in judging 
of probabilities which are to be determined by reason, 
relating either to things past or things to come. 

1. That which agrees most with the constitution of nature 
carries the greatest probability in it, where no other 
circumstance appears to counterpoise it: as if I let loose 
a greyhound within sight of a hare upon a large plain, 
there is great probability the greyhound will seize her ; 
a thousand sparrows will fly away at the sight of a 
hawk among them. 

2. That which is most comformable to the constant observation 
of men, or to experiment frequently repeated, is most 
likely to be true: as that a winter will not pass away in 
England without some frost and snow; that if you deal 
out great quantities of strong liquor to the mob, there 
will be many drunk; that a large assembly of men will 
be of different opinions in any doubtful point ; that a 
thief will make his escape out of prison if the doors of it 
are unguarded at midnight. 

3. In matters of fact, which are past or present, where 
neither nature, nor observation, nor custom, gives us 
any sufficient information on either side of the question, 
there we may derive a 'probability from the attestation of wise 
and honest men, by word or writing, or the concurring 
witnesses of multitudes who have seen and known what 
they relate, etc. This testimony in many cases will arise 
to the degree of moral certainty. So we believe that the 
tea-plant grows in China ; and that the Emperor of the 
Turks Lives at Constantinople; that Julius CYcsar eon- 

n 



1G2 OF DETERMINING A QUESTION. 

quered France ; that Jesus our Saviour lived and died 
in Judea ; that thousands were converted to the Chris- 
tian faith in a century after the death of Christ ; and that 
the books which contain the Christian religion are cer- 
tain histories and epistles which were written above a 
thousand years ago There is an infinite variety of such 
propositions which can admit of no reasonable doubt, 
though they arc not matters which are directly evident 
to our own senses or our mere reasoning powers. 

XXVII. AVhen a point hath been well examined, and 
our own judgment settled upon just arguments in our 
manly age, and after a large survey of the merits of the 
cause, it would be a weakness for us always to continue 
fluttering in suspense. We ought therefore to stand 
firm in such well-established principles, and not be 
tempted to change and alter for the sake of every diffi- 
culty, or every occasional objection. We are not to be 
carried about with every flying doctrine, like children 
tossed to and fro, and wavering with the wind. It is a 
good thing to have the heart established with grace, not 
with meats; that is, in the great doctrines of the Gospel 
of grace, and in Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, 
to-day, and for ever; but it is not so necessary in the 
more minute matters of religion, such as meats and drink, 
forms and ceremonies, which are of less importance, and 
for which Scripture has not given such express directions. 
This is the advice of the great apostle, Eph. 14; Heb. 
13 : 8, 9. 

In short, those truths which are the springs of daily 
practice should be settled as soon as we can with the 
exercise of our best powers after the state of manhood : 
but those things wherein we may possibly mistake should 
never be so absolutely and finally established and deter- 
mined as though we were infallible. 

3CXVIII. But let us remember also, that though the 



CAUSES AND EFFECTS. L63 

Gospel be an infallible revelation, we are but fallible in- 
terpreters when we determine the sense even of some 
important propositions written there; and therefore, 
though we seem to be established in the belief of any 
particular sense of Scripture and though there may be 
just calls of Providence to profess and subscribe it, yet 
there is no need that we should resolve or promise, 
subscribe or swear, never to change our mind, since it 
is possible, in the nature and course of things, we may 
meet with such a solid and substantial objection as may 
give us a quite different view of things from what we 
once imagined, and we may lay before us sufficient 
evidence of the contrary. We may happen to find a fairer 
light cast over the same Scriptures and see reason to 
alter our sentiments even in some points of moment. 
Sic sentio, sic sentiam, i. e., so I believe, and so I will be- 
lieve, is the prison of the soul for life-time and a bar 
against all the improvements of the mind. To impose 
such a profession on other men in matters not absolutely 
necessary, and not absolutely certain, is a criminal usur- 
pation and tyranny over faith and conscience, and which 
none has power to require but an infallible dictator. 



CHAPTEE XV. 

OF INQUIRING! INTO CAUSES AND EFFECTS. 

Some effects are found out by their causes, and some 
causes by their effects. Let us consider both these. 

J. When we are inquiring into the cause of any 
particular effect or appearance, either in the world of 
nature, or in the civil or moral concerns of men, Ave may 
follow this method: 

1. Consider what effects or appearances you have known 
of a kindred nature, and what have been the certain and 



164 CAUSES AND EFFECTS. 

real causes of them ; for like effects have generally like 
causes, especially when they are found in the same sort 
of subjects. 

2. Consider what are the several possible eauses which may 
produce such an effect, and find out by some circum- 
stances how many of those possible causes are excluded 
in this particular case : Thence proceed by degrees to the 
probable causes, till a more close attention and inspec- 
tion shall exclude some of them also, and lead you 
gradually to the real and certain cause. 

3. Consider what things preceded such an event or 
appearance, which might have any influence upon it; 
and though we can not certainly determine the cause 
of any thing only from its going before the effect, yet 
among the many forerunners we may probably light upon 
the true cause by further and more particular inquiry. 

4. Consider whether one cause be sufficient to produce the 
effect, or whether it does not require a concurrence of 
several causes; and then endeavor as far as possible to 
adjust the degrees of influence that each cause might 
have in producing the effect, and the proper agency and 
influence of each of them therein. 

So in natural philosophy, if I would find what are prin- 
ciples or causes of that sensation which we call heat 
when I stand near the fire; here I shall find it is necessary 
that there be an agency of the particles of fire on my 
flesh, either mediately by themselves, or at least by the 
intermediate air; there must be a particular sort of 
motion and vellication impressed upon my nerves ; there 
must be a derivation of that motion to the brain; and 
there must be an attention of my soul to this motion; if 
either of these are wanting, the sensation of heat will not 
be produced. 

So in the moral ivorld, if I inquire into the revolution of 
a state or kingdom, perhaps 1 find it brought about by 



CAUSES AND EFFECTS. L65 

the tyranny and folly of a prince, or by the disaffection 
of his own subjects; and this disaffection and opposition 
may arise either upon the account of impositions in 
religion, or injuries relating to their civil rights; or the 
revolution may be effected by the invasion of a foreign 
army, or by the opposition of some person at home or 
abroad that lays claim to the government, etc., or a hero 
who would guard the liberties of the people; or by many 
of these concurring together: then we must adjust the 
influences of each as wisely as we can, and not ascribe 
the whole event to one of them alone. 

II. When we are inquiring into the effects of any 
particular cause or causes, we may follow this method: 

1. Consider diligently the nature of every cause apart, 
and observe what effect every part or property of it will 
tend to produce. 

2. Consider the causes united together in their several 
natures, and ways of operation: inquire how far the 
powers or properties of one will hinder or promote the 
effects of the other, and wisely balance the propositions 
of their influence. 

3. Consider what the subject is, in or upon which the 
cause is to operate : for the same cause on different sub- 
jects will oftentimes produce different effects ; as the sun 
which softens wax will harden clay. 

4. Be frequent and diligent in making all proper ex- 
periments, in setting such causes at work, ivhose effects you 
desire to know, and putting together in an orderly manner 
such things as are most likely to produce some useful 
effects, according to the best survey you can take of all 
the concurring causes and circumstances. 

5. Observe carefully all the events which happen either 
by an occasional concurrence of various causes, or by 
the industrious applications of knowing men : and when 
you, see any happy effect certainly produced, and often re- 



1GG CATJSES AND EFFECT^. 

peated, treasure it up, together with the known causes 
of it, amongst your improvements. 

0. Take a just survey of all the circumstances which at- 
tend the operation of any cause or causes, whereby any 
special effect is produced : and find out as far as possible 
how far any of those circumstances had a tendency 
either to obstruct, promote or change those operations, 
and consequently how far the effect might be influenced 
by them. 

In this manner physicians practice and improve their 
skill. They consider the various known effects of par- 
ticular herbs or drugs, they meditate what will be the 
effects of their composition, and whether the virtues of 
the one will exalt or diminish the force of the other, or 
correct any of its nocent qualities. Then they observe 
the native constitution, and the present temper or cir- 
cumstances of the patient, and what is likely to be the 
effect of such a medicine on such a patient. And in all 
uncommon cases they make wise and cautious experi- 
ments, and nicely observe the effects of particular com- 
pound medicines on different constitutions and in differ- 
ent diseases, and by these treasures of just observations 
they grow up to an honorable degree of skill in the art 
of healing. Bo the preacher considers the doctrines and 
reasons, the precepts, the promises and threatenings of 
the word of God, and what are the natural effects of them 
upon the mind; he considers what is the natural ten- 
dency of such a virtue, or such a vice ; he is well ap- 
prised that the representation of some of these things 
may convince the understanding, some may terrify the 
conscience, some may allure the slothful, and some en- 
courage the desponding mind; he observes the temper 
of his hearers, or of any particular person that converses 
with him about things sacred, and he judges what will 
be the effects of each representation on such persons ; he 



METHODS OF TEACHING. 1(57 

reviews and recollects what have been the effects of some 
special parts and methods of his ministry; and by a 
careful survey of all these he attains greater degrees of 
skill in his sacred employment. 

Note: In all these cases we must distinguish those 
causes and effects which are naturally and necessarily 
connected with each other, from those which have only 
an accidental or contingent connection. Even in those 
causes where the effect is but contingent, we may some- 
times arrive at a very high degree of probability ; yet 
we can not arrive at such certainty as where the causes 
operate by an evident and natural necessity, and the 
effects necessarily follow the operation. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

METHODS OF TEACHING AND READING LECTURES. 

I. He that has learned any thing thoroughly, in a 
clear and methodical manner, and has attained a distinct 
perception, and an ample survey of the whole subject, 
is generally best prepared to teach the same subject 
in a clear and easy method : for having acquired a 
large and distinct idea of it himself, and made it familiar 
to him by frequent meditation, reading, and occasional 
discourse, he is supposed to see on all sides, to grasp it, 
with all its appendices and relations, in one survey, and 
is better able to represent it to the learner in all its 
views, with all its properties, relations, and conse- 
quences. He knows which view or side of a subject to 
hold out first to his disciple, and how to propose to his 
understanding that part of it which is easiest to appre- 
hend ; and also knows how to set it in such a light as is 
most likely to allure and to assist his further inquiry. 



168 METHODS OF TEACHING. 

II. But it is not every one who is a great scholar that 
always becomes the happiest teacher, even though he 
may have a clear conception, and a methodical as well 
as an extensive survey of the branches of any science. 
He must also be well acquainted with words, as well 
as ideas, in a proper variety, that when his disciple does 
not take in the ideas of one form of expression, he may 
change the phrase into several forms, till at last he hits 
the understanding of his scholar and enlightens it in 
the just idea of truth. 

III. Besides this, a tutor should be a person of a 
happy and condescending temper, who has patience to 
bear with a slowness of perception or want of sagacity 
in some learners. He should also have much candor 
of soul to pass a gentle censure on their impertinences, 
and to pity them in their mistakes, and use every mild 
and engaging method for insinuating knowledge into 
those who are willing and delight in seeking truth, as 
well as reclaiming those who are wandering in error. 

But of this I have spoken somewhat already in a 
former chapter, and shall have occasion to express some- 
what more of it shortly. 

IV. A very pretty and useful way .to lead a person 
into any particular truth is, by questions and answers, 
which is the Socratical method of disputation. On 
this account dialogues are used as a polite and pleasant 
mode of leading gentlemen and ladies into some of the 
sciences, who seek not the most accurate and methodical 
measure of learning. 

Now, the advantages of this method are very con- 
siderable. 

1. It represents the form of a dialogue or common 
con versa! ion, which is a much more easy, more pleasant, 
and a more sprightly way of instruction, and more fit to 
excite the attention and sharpen the penetration of the 



METHODS OF TEACHING. 169 

learner, than solitary reading or silent attention to a 
lecture. Man, being a sociable creature, delights more 
in conversation, and learns better this way, if it could 
always he wisely and happily practiced. 

2. This method hath something very obliging in it, and 
carries a very humble and condescending air, when he 
that instructs seems to be the inquirer, and seeks infor- 
mation from him who learns. 

3. It leads the learner into the knowledge of truth as 
it were by his own invention, which is a very pleasing 
thing to human' nature : and by questions pertinently 
and artificially proposed, it does as effectually draw him 
on to discover Ms own mistakes, which he is much more 
easily persuaded to relinquish when he seems to have 
discovered them himself. 

4. It is managed in a great measure in the form of the 
most easy reasoning, always arising from something as- 
serted or known in the foregoing answer, and so pro- 
ceeding to inquire something unknown in the following 
question, which again makes way for the next answer. 
Now, such an exercise is very alluring and entertaining 
to the understanding, while its own reasoning powers 
are all along employed, and that without labor or diffi- 
culty, because, the querist finds out and proposes all the 
intermediate ideas or middle terms. 

V. But the most useful, and perhaps the most ex- 
cellent way of instructing students in any of the sciences, 
is by reading lectures, as tutors in the academy do to 
their pupils. 

The first work is to choose a book well written, which 
contains a short scheme or abstract of that science, or 
at least it should not be a very copious and diffusive 
treatise. Or if the tutor knows not any such book al- 
ready written, he should draw up an abstract of that 
science himself, containing the most substantial and im- 



170 METTTODS OF TEACHING. 

portant parts of it, disposed in such a method as he best 
approves. 

Let a chapter or section of this be read daily by the 
learner, on which the tutor should paraphrase in this 
manner, namely : 

VI. He should explain both words and ideas more 
largely ; and especially what is dark and difficult 
should be opened and illustrated, partly by various 
forms of speech, and partly by apt similitudes and ex- 
amples. Where the sense of the author is dubious, it 
must also be fixed and determined. 

Where the arguments are strong and cogent, they 
should be enforced by some further paraphrase, and the 
truth of the inferences should be made plainly to appear. 
Where the arguments are weak and insufficient, they 
si 1 on Id be either confirmed or rejected as useless ; and 
new arguments, if need be, should bo added to support 
that doctrine. 

What is treated very concisely in the author should 
be amplified : and where several things are laid closely 
together, they must be taken to pieces and opened by 
parts. 

Where the tutor differs from the author which he 
reads, he should gently point out and confute his mis- 
takes. 

Where the method and order of the book is just and 
happy, it should be pursued and commended ; where it 
is defective and irregular, it should be corrected. 

The most necessary, the most remarkable and useful 
parts of that treatise, or of that science, should be pecu- 
liarly recommended to the learners and pressed upon 
them that they would retain it in memory ; and what is 
more necessary or superfluous should be distinguished, 
lest the learner should spend too much time in the more 
needless parts of a science. 



methods of teaching: 17 l 

The various cuds, uses, and services of that science, 
or <>l" any part of it, should also be declared and exem- 
plified, as far as the tutor hath opportunity and furni- 
ture to doit; particularly in mathematics and natural 
philosophy. 

And if there be any thing remarkably beautiful or 
defective in the style of the writer, it is proper for the 
tutor to make a just remark upon it. 

While he is reading and explaining any particular 
treatise to his pupils, he may compare the different edi- 
tions of the same book, or different writers upon the 
same subject ; he should inform them where that subject 
is treated by other authors which they may peruse, and 
lead his disciples thereby to a further elucidation, con- 
firmation, or improvement of that theme of discourse in 
which he is instructing them. 

VII. It is alluring and agreeable to the learner also, 
now and then, to be entertained with some historical re- 
marks on any occurrences or useful stories which the 
tutor has met with, relating to the several parts of such 
a science ; provided he does not put off his pupils merely 
with such stories, and neglect to give them a solid and 
rational information of the theme in hand. Teachers 
should endeavor, as far as possible, to join profit and 
pleasure together, and mingle delight with their in- 
structions, but at the same time they must take heed 
that they do not merely amuse the ears and gratify the 
fancy of their disciples without enriching their minds. 

In reading lectures of instruction, let the teacher be 
very solicitous that the learners take up his meaning ; 
and therefore he should frequently inquire whether he 
expresses himself intelligibly ? whether they understand 
his sense, and take in all his ideas as he endeavors to 
convey them in his own forms of speech? 

VIII. It is necessary that he who instructs others 



172 METHODS of TEACHING. 

should use the most proper style for the conveyance 
of his ideas easily into the minds of those who hear him; 
and though in teaching the sciences, a person is not con- 
fined to the same rules by which we must govern our 
language in conversation, for he must necessarily make 
use of many terms of art and hard words, yet he should 
never use them merely to show his learning, nor affect 
sounding language without necessity, a caution which we 
shall further inculcate anon. 

I think it very convenient and proper, if not absolutely 
necessary, that when a tutor reads a following lecture to 
his pupils, he should run over the foregoing lecture 
in questions proposed to them, and by this menus 
acquaint himself with their daily i^roncieney. It is in 
vain for the learner to object, Surely we are not school- 
boys, to say our lessons again ; we came to be taught, not 
to be catechised and examined. But, alas! how is it 
possible for a teacher to proceed in his instructions, if he 
knows not how far the learner takes in and remembers 
what he has been taught 1 

Besides, I must generally believe it is sloth or idleness, 
it is real ignorance, incapacity, or unreasonable pride, 
that makes a learner refuse to give his teacher an account 
how far he has profited by his last instructions. For 
want of this constant examination young gentlemen have 
spent some idle and useless years, even under daily labors 
and inspections of a learned teacher ; and they have re- 
turned from the academy without the gain of any one 
science, and even with the shameful loss of their classical 
learning, that is, the knowledge of Greek and Latin, 
which they had learned in the grammar school. 

IX. Let the teacher always accommodate himself 
to the genius, temper, and capacity of his disciples, 
and practice various methods of prudence to allure, 
persuade, and assist every one of them in their pursuit 
of knowledge. 



METHODS OF TEACHING. 173 

Where the scholar has less capacity, let the teacher 
enlarge his illustrations; let him search and find out 
where the learner sticks, what is the difficulty, and thus 
let him help the laboring intellect. 

When the learner manifests a forward genius and a 
sprightly curiosity by frequent inquiries, let the teacher 
oblige such an inquisitive soul by satisfying those ques- 
tions as far as may be done with decency and con- 
venience ; and when these inquiries are unseasonable, 
let him not silence the young inquirer with a magisterial 
rebuff, but with much candor and gentleness postpone 
those questions, and refer them to a proper hour. 

X. Curiosity is a useful spring of knowledge : it 
should be encouraged in children, and awakened by 
frequent and familiar methods of talking with them. It 
should be indulged in youth, but not without a prudent 
moderation. In those who have too much, it should be 
limited by a wise and gentle restraint or delay, lest by 
wandering after every thing, they learn nothing to per- 
fection. In those who have too little, it should be 
excited, lest they grow stupid, narrow -spirited, self-satis- 
fied, and never attain a treasure of ideas, or an amplitude 
of understanding. 

Let not the teacher demand or expect things too 
sublime and difficult from the humble, modest, and 
fearful disciple : and where such a one gives a just and 
happy answer, even to plain and easy questions, let him 
have words of commendation and love ready for him. 
Let him encourage every spark of kindling light, till it 
grows up to bright evidence and confirmed knowledge. 

XL When he finds a lad pert, positive, and pre- 
suming, let the tutor take every just occasion to show 
him his error; let him set the absurdity in complete 
light before him, and convince him by a full demon - 
st ration of his mistake, till he sees and feels it, and learns 
to be modest and humble. 



174 METHODS OF TEACHING. 

XTI. A teacher should not only observe the different 
spirit and humor among his scholars, but he should 
watch the various efforts of their reason and growth of 
their understanding. lie should practice in his young 
nursery of learning as a skillful gardener does in his 
vegetable dominions, and apply prudent methods of 
cultivation to every plant. Let him with a discreet and 
gentle hand nip or prune the irregular shoots ; let him 
guard and encourage the tender buddings of the 
understanding, till they be raised to a blossom, and let 
him kindly cherish the younger fruits. 

The tutor should take every occasion to instill knowl- 
edge into his disciples, and make use of every occurrence 
of life to raise some profitable conversation upon it ; he 
should frequently inquire something of his disciples that 
may set their young reason to work, and teach them how 
to form inferences and to draw one proposition out of 
another. 

XIII. Reason being that faculty of the mind which 
he has to deal with in his pupils, let him endeavor by all 
proper and familiar methods to call it into exercise, 
and to enlarge the powers of it. He should take frequent 
opportunities to show them when an idea is clear or con- 
fused, when the proposition is evident or doubtful, and 
when an argument is feeble or strong. And by this 
means their minds will be so formed, that whatsoever he 
proposes with evidence and strength of reason they will 
readily receive. 

When any uncommon appearance arise in the natural, 
moral, or political world, he should invite and instruct 
them to make their remarks on it, and give them the 
best reflections of his own for the improvement of their 
minds. 

XIV. He should by all means make it appear that 
he loves his pupils, and that he seeks nothing so 



<)K AN INSTRUCTIVE STYLE. L75 

much as their increase of knowledge and their 
growth in all valuable acquirements; this will engage 
1 heir affection to his person, and procure a just attention 
to his Lectures. 

X V. And indeed there is but little hope that a teacher 
should obtain any success in his instructions, unless 
those that hear him have some good degree of 
esteem and respect for his person and character. 
And here I can not but take notice by the way, that it is 
a matter of infinite and unspeakable injury to the people 
of any town or parish where the minister lies under con- 
tempt. If he has procured it by his own conduct he is 
doubly criminal, because of the injury he does to the 
souls of them that hear him : but if this contempt and 
reproach be cast upon him by the wicked, malicious, and 
unjust censures of men, they must bear all the ill conse- 
quences of receiving no good by his labors, and will be 
accountable hereafter to the great and divine Judge 
of all. 

It would be very necessary to add in this place (if 
tutors were not well apprised of it before) that since 
learners are obliged to seek a divine blessing on their 
studies by frequent prayer to the God of all wisdom, 
their tutors should go before them in this pious practice 
and make daily addresses to Heaven for the success of 
their instructions 



CHAPTER XVII. 

OF AN INSTRUCTIVE STYLE. 

I. The most necessary and useful character of a 
style fit for instruction is that it be plain, perspicuous 
and easy. And here I shall first point out all those 
errorsin a style which diminish or destroy the perspicuity 



17G OF AN INSTRUCTIVE STYLE. 

of it, and then mention a few directions how to obtain a 
perspicuous and easy style. 

II. The errors of style, which must be avoided by 
teachers, are these that follow: 

1. The use of many foreign tvords, which are not suf- 
ficiently naturalized and mingled with the language 
which we speak or write. It is true, that in teaching the 
sciences in English, we must sometimes use words bor- 
rowed from the Greek and Latin; for we have not in 
English, names for a variety of subjects which belong to 
learning; but when a man affects, upon all occasions, to 
bring in long-sounding words from the ancient languages, 
without necessity, and mingles French and other outlandish 
terms and phrases, where plain English would serve as 
well, he betrays a vain and foolish genius, unbecoming a 
teacher. 

2. Avoid a fantastic learned style, borrowed from the 
various sciences, where the subject and matter do not 
require the use of them. Do not affect terms of art on 
every occasion, nor seek to show your learning by sound- 
ing words and dark phrases; this is properly called 
pedantry* It would be well if the quacks alone had a 
patent for this language. 

3. There are some fine affected words tJiat are used only at 
court ; and some peculiar phrases that are sounding or 
gaudy, and belong only to the theater; these should not 
come into the lectures of instruction ; the language of 
poets has too much of metaphor in it to lead mankind 
into clear and distinct ideas of things: the business of 
poesy is to strike the soul with a glaring light, and to 
urge the passions into a flame by splendid shows, by 
strong images, and a pathetic vehemence of style: but it 
is another sort of speech that is best suited to lead tin' 
calm inquirer into just conceptions of things. 

4. There is a mean vulgar style, borrowed from the lower 



OF AN INSTRUCTIVE STYLE. 177 

nuilcs of mankind, the basest characters, and meanest 
affairs of life; this is also to be avoided; for it should be 
supposed, that persons of liberal education have not been 
bred up within the hearing of such language, and con- 
sequently they can not understand it; besides that it 
would create very offensive ideas, should we borrow 
even similes for illustration from the scullery, the dung- 
hill, and the jakes. 

5. An obscure and mysterious manner of expression and 
cloudy language is to be avoided. Some persons have 
been led by education, or by some foolish prejudices, into 
a dark and unintelligible way of thinking and speaking; 
and this continues with them all their lives, and clouds 
and confounds their ideas. 

Perhaps some of these may have been blessed 
with a great and comprehensive genius, with sub- 
lime natural parts, and a torrent of ideas flowing 
in upon them; yet for want of clearness in the manner 
of their conception and language, they sometimes drown 
their own subject of discourse, and overwhelm their 
argument in darkness and perplexity: such preachers as 
have read much of the mystical divinity of the papists 
and imitated their manner of expression, have many 
times buried a fine understanding under the obscurity 
of such a style. 

6. A long and tedious style is very improper for a teacher, 
for this also lessens the perspicuity of it. 

He that would gain a happy talent for the instruction 
of others must know how to disentangle and divide his 
thoughts, if too many of them are ready to crowd into 
one paragraph \ and let him rather speak three sentences 
distinctly and perspicuously, which the hearer receives 
at once with his ears and his soul, than crowd all the 
thoughts into one sentence, which the hearer has for- 
gotten before he can understand it. 
12 



178 OF AN INSTRUCTIVE STYLE. 

III. But this leads me to the next thing I proposed, 
whieh was to mention some methods whereby such a 
perspicuity of style may be obtained as is proper for 
instruction. 

1. Accustom yourself to read those authors icho think and 
write with great clearness and evidence, such as convey their 
ideas into your understanding as fast as your eye or 
tongue can run over their sentences : this will imprint 
upon the mind a habit of imitation ; we shall learn the 
style with which we are very conversant, and practice 
it with ease and success. 

2. Get a distinct and comprehensive knowledge of the subject 

which you treat of, survey it on all sides, and make 

yourself perfect master of it ; then you will have all the 

sentiments that relate to it in your view and under your 

command ; and your tongue will very easily clothe those 

ideas with words which your mind has first made so 

familiar and easy to itself. 

Scribendi recte sapere est et principium et fons : 
Verbaque provisani rem non in vita sequent ur. 

Hor. de Art Poetica. 

Good teaching from good knowledge springs; 
Words will make haste to follow things. 

3. Be ivell skilled in the language which you speak, ac- 
quaint yourself with all the idioms and special phrases of 
it, which are necessary to convey the needful ideas on the 
subject of which you treat in the most various and most 
easy maimer to the understanding of the hearer : the 
variation of a phrase in several forms is of admirable use 
to instruct; it is like turning all sides of the subject to 
view ; and if the learner happen not to take in the ideas 
in one form of speech, probably another may be success- 
fill for that end. 

Upon this account I have always thought it a useful manner 
of instruction, which is used in some Latin schools, which 
they call variation. Take sonic plain sentence in the English 



OF AN INSTRUCTIVE STYLE. 170 

tongue, and turn it into many forms in Latin ; as for instance, 
A wolf let into the sheepfold will devour the sheep ; If you let 

a wolf into the fold, the sheep will be devoured: The wolf 
will devour the sheep, if the sheepfold be left open : If the fold 
be not shut carefully, the wolf will devour the sheep. The 
sheep will be devoured by the wolf, if it find the way into the 
fold open : There is no defense of the sheep from the wolf, un- 
less it be kept out of the fold : A slaughter will be made among 
the sheep, if the wolf can get into the fold. Thus by turning 
the active voice of verbs into the passive, and the nomina- 
tive case of nouns into the accusative, and altering the connec- 
tion of short sentences by different adverbs or conjunctions, 
and by ablative cases with a preposition brought instead of the 
nominative, or by participles sometimes put instead of the verbs, 
the negation of the contrary instead of the assertion of the 
thing first proposed, a great variety of forms of speech w T ill be 
created which shall express the same sense. 

4. Acquire a variety of words, a copia verborum. Let your 
memory be rich in synonymous terms, or words express- 
ing* the same thing : this w T ill not only attain the same 
happy effect with its varation of phrases in the foregoing 
direction, but it will add a beauty also to your style, by 
securing you from an appearance of tautology, or repeat- 
ing the same words too often, which sometimes may dis- 
gust the ear of the learner. 

5. Learn the art of shortening your sentences by dividing a 
long complicated period into two or three small ones: 
When others connect and join two other sentences in 
one by relative pronouns, as, which, whereof, wherein, 
whereto, etc., and by parentheses frequently inserted, do 
you rather divide them into distinct periods ; or at least, 
if they must be united, let it be done rather by conjunc- 
tions and copulative, that they may appear like distinct 
sentences, and give less confusion to the hearer or reader. 

I know no method so effectual to learn what I mean 
as to take now and then some page of an author, w T ho is 
guilty of such a long involved parenthetical style, and 
translate it into plainer English, by dividing the ideas or 
the sentences asunder, and multiplying the periods, till 



180 

the language becomes smooth and easy, and intelligible 
at first reading. 

0. Talk frequently to young and ignorant persons upon 
subjects which are new and unknown to them, and be 
diligent to inquire whether they understand you or not : 
this will put you upon changing your phrases and forms 
of speech in a variety, till you can hit their capacity, and 
convey your idea into their understanding. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

OF CONVINCING OTHER PERSONS OF ANY TRITTII, OR DE- 
LIVERING THEM FROM ERRORS AND MISTAKES. 

I. When we are arrived at a jast and rational estab- 
lishment in an opinion, whether it relate to religion or 
common life, we are naturally desirous of bringing all 
the world into our sentiments ; and this proceeds 
from the affectation and pride of superior influence irpon 
the judgment of our fellow creatures, much more 
frequently than it does from a sense of duty, or a love 
of truth ; so vicious and corrupt is human nature. Yet 
there is such a thing to be found as an honest and sincere 
delight in propagating truth, arising from a dutiful re- 
gard to the honors of our Maker, and a hearty love to 
mankind. Now, if we would be successful in our at- 
tempts to convince men of their errors and promote the 
truth, let us divest ourselves, as far as possible, of that 
pride and affectation which I mentioned before ; and 
seek to acquire that disinterested love to men, and zeal 
for the truth, which will naturally lead us into the best 
methods to promote it. 

II. And here the following directions may be 
useful : 



OR OELrVTCRTNO FROM ERROR. 181 

1. Tf you would convince a person of his mistake, 
choose a proper place, a happy hour., and the fittest concurrent 
circumstance for this purpose. Do not unseasonably set 
upon him when he is engaged in the midst of other 
affairs, but when his soul is at liberty and at leisure to 
hear and attend. Accost him not upon that subject 
when his spirit is ruffled or discomposed with any occur- 
rences of life, and especially when he has heated his 
passions in the defense of a contrary opinion ; but rather 
seize some golden opportunity, when some occurrences 
of life may cast a favorable aspect upon the truth of 
which you will convince him, or which may throw some 
dark and unhappy color or consequences upon that error 
from which you would fain deliver him. There are in 
life some mollissima tempora fandi, some very agreeable 
moments of addressing a person, which, if rightly man- 
aged, may render your attempts much more successful, 
and his conviction easy and pleasant. 

2. Make it appear, by your whole conduct to the person 
you would teach, that you mean Mm well ; that your design 
is not to triumph over his opinion, nor expose his ignor- 
ance, or his incapacity of defending what he asserts. 
Let him see that it is not your aim to advance your own 
character as a disputant ; nor to set yourself up for an 
instructor of mankind ; but that you love him and seek 
his true interest ; and do not only assure him of this in 
words, when you are entering on an argument with him, 
but let the whole of your conduct to him at all times 
demonstrate your real friendship for him. Truth and 
argument come with particular force from the mouth of 
one whom we trust and love. 

3. The softest and gentlest address to the erroneous is the 
best way to convince them of their mistake. Sometimes it 
is necessary to represent to your opponent that he is not 
far from the truth, and that you would fain draw him a 



182 OF CONVINCING OF TRUTH, 

little nearer to it. Commend and establish whatever lie 
says that is just and true, as our blessed Saviour li- 
the young scribe, when he answered well concerning the 
two great commandments, " Thou art not far," says our 
Lord, "from the kingdom of heaven," Mark 12 : 34. 
Imitate the mildness and conduct of the blessed Jesus. 

Come as near your opponent as you can in all your 
propositions, and yield to him as much as you dare in a 
consistence with truth and justice. 

It is a very great and fatal mistake in persons who at- 
tempt to convince and reconcile others to their party, 
when they make the difference appear as wide as possible; 
this is shocking to any person who. is to be convinced ; 
ho will choose rather to keep and maintain his own 
opinions, if he can not come into yours without re- 
nouncing and abandoning every thing that he believed 
before. Human nature must be flattered a little as well as 
reasoned with, that so the argument may be able to come 
at his understanding, which otherwise will be thrust off 
at a distance. If you charge a man with nonsense and 
absurdities, with heresy and self-contradiction, you take 
a very wrong step toward convincing him. 

Always remember that error is not to be rooted out of 
the mind of man by reproaches and railing, by flashes of 
wit and biting jests, by loud exclamations of sharp ridi- 
cule : long declamations, and triumph over our neigh- 
bor's mistake, will not prove the way to convince him ; 
these are signs either of a bad cause, or a want of argu- 
ments or capacity for the defense of a good one. 

4. Set therefore a constant watch over yourself, lest you 
grow warm in dispute before you are aware. The j)assions 
uever clear the understanding, but raise darkness, clouds, 
and confusion in the soul : human nature is like water 
which has mud at the bottom of it ; it may be clear when 
it is calm and undisturbed, and the ideas, like pebbles. 



OH DELIVERING FROM ERROR. 183 

appear bright at the bottom ; but when once it is stirred 
and moved by passion, the mud rises uppermost, and 
spreads confusion and darkness over all the ideas : you 
can not set things in so just and so clear a light before 
the eyes of your neighbor, while your own conceptions 
are clouded with heat and passion. 

Besides, when your own spirits are a little disturbed, 
and your wrath is awakened, this naturally kindles the 
same fire in your correspondent and prevents him from 
taking in your ideas, were they ever so clear ; for his 
passions are engaged all on a sudden for the defense of 
his own mistakes, and they combat as fiercely as yours 
do, which perhaps may be awakened on the side of truth. 

To provoke a person whom you would convince, not 
only arouses his anger and sets it against your doctrine, 
but it directs its resentment against your person, as well 
as against all your instructions and arguments. You 
must treat an opponent like a friend, if you would persuade 
him to learn any thing from you ; and this is one great 
reason why there is so little success on either side 
between two disputants, or controversial writers, because 
they are so ready to interest their passions in the subject 
of contest, and thereby to prevent the mutual light that 
might be given and received on either side : ambition, 
indignation, and a professional zeal, reign on both sides ; 
victory is the point designed, while truth is pretended ; 
and truth oftentimes perishes in the fray, or retires from the 
field of battle ; the combatants end just where they 
began, their understandings hold fast the same opinions, 
perhaps with this disadvantage, that they are a little 
more obstinate and rooted in them, without fresh reason ; 
and they generally come off with the loss of temper and 
charity. 

5. Neither attempt nor hope to convince a person of his 
mistake by any penal methods or severe usage. There is no 



184 OF CONVINCING OF TRVTII, 

light brought into the mind by all the lire and sword, 
and bloody persecutions, that we're ever introduced into 
the world. One would think both the princes, the 
priests, and the people, the learned and the unlearned, 
the great and the mean, should have all by this time seen 
the folly and madness of seeking to propagate the truth 
by the laws of cruelty : we compel a beast to the yoke 
by blows, because the ox and the ass have no under- 
standing : but intellectual powers are not to be fettered 
and compelled at this rate. Men can not believe what 
they will, nor change their religion and their sentiments 
as they please : they may be made hypocrites by the 
forms of severity and constrained to profess what they 
do not believe ; they may be forced to comply with ex- 
ternal practices and ceremonies contrary to their own con- 
sciences ; but this can never please God, nor profit men. 

6. In order to convince another, you should always 
make choice of those arguments that are best suited to his un- 
derstanding and capacity, his genius and temper, his state, 
station, and circumstances. If I were to persuade a 
ploughman of the truth of any form of church govern- 
ment, it should not be attempted by the use of Greek 
and Latin fathers ; but from the word of God, the light 
of nature, and the common reason of things. 

7. Arguments should always be projiosed in such a 
manner as may lead the mind onward to perceive the truth in 
a clear and agreeable light, as well as to constrain the as- 
sent by the power of reasoning. Clear ideas, in many 
cases, are as useful towards conviction as a well-formed 
and unanswerable syllogism. 

S. Allow the person you desire to instruct a reasonal>lc 
time to enter into the force of yon r arguments. When you 
have declared your own sentiments in the brightest man- 
ner of illustration and enforced them with the most 
convincing arguments, you are not to suppose that your 



OR DELIVERING FROM ERROR. 185 

friend should be immediately convinced and receive the 
truth : habit mU' in a particular way of thinking, as well 

as in most other things, obtains the force of nature ; and 
you can not expect to wean a man from his accustomed 
errors but by slow degrees and by his own assistance ; 
entreat him therefore not to judge on the sudden, nor 
determine against you at once ; but that he would please 
to review your scheme, reflect upon your arguments 
with all the impartiality he is capable of, and take time 
to think these over again at large; at least, that he 
would be disposed to hear you speak yet further on this 
subject without pain or aversion. 

Address him therefore in an obliging manner and say, I 
am not so fond as to think I have placed the subject in 
such lights as to throw you on a sudden into anew track 
of thinking, or to make you immediately lay aside your 
present opinions or designs ; all that I hope is, that some 
hint or other which I have given is capable of being 
improved by you to your own conviction, or possibly it 
may lead you to such a train of reasoning, as in time to 
effect a change in your thoughts. Which hint leads me 
to add : 

9. Labor as much as possible to make the person you 
would teach his own instructor. Human nature may be 
allured, by a secret pleasure and pride in its own reason- 
ing, to seem to find out by itself the very thing that you 
would teach ; and there are some persons that have so 
much of this natural bias toward self rooted in them 
tliat they can never be convicned of a mistake by the 
plainest and strongest arguments to the contrary, though 
the demonstration glare in their faces ; but they may be 
tempted, by such gentle insinuations, to follow a track 
of thought which you propose, till they have wound 
themselves out of their own error and led themselves 
hereby into your own opinion, if you do but let it appear 



18G OF CONVINCING OF TEUTH, 

that they are under their own guidance rather than 
yours. And perhaps there is nothing which shows more 
dexterity of address than this secret influence over the 
minds of others, which they do not discern even while 
they follow it. 

10. If you can gain the main point in question, be not 
very solicitous about the nicety witJi which it shall be expressed. 
Mankind is so vain a thing, that it is not willing to derive 
from another; and though it can not have everything 
from itself, yet it would seem at least to mingle something 
of its own with what it derives elsewhere : therefore, 
when you have set your sentiment in the fullest light, 
and proved in the most effectual manner, an opponent 
will bring in some frivilous and useless distinction, on 
purpose to change the form of words in the question, 
and acknowledge that he receives your propositions in 
such a sense, and in such a manner of expression, 
though he can not receive it in your terms and phrases. 

Vanillus will confess he is now convinced, that a man who 
behaves well in the state ought not to be punished for his re- 
ligion, but yet he will not consent to allow a universal tolera- 
tion of all religions which do not injure the state, which is the 
proposition 1 had been proving. Well, let Vanillus, therefore, 
use his own language ; I am glad he is convinced of the truth ; 
he shall have leave to dress it in his ow T n way. 

11. "When you have labored to instruct a person in 
some controverted truth, and yet he retains some preju- 
dice against it, so that he doth not yield to the convincing 
force of your arguments, you may sometimes have happy 
success in convincing him of that truth, by setting him to 
read a weak author who writes against it; a young reader 
will find such pleasure in being able to answer the argu- 
ments of the opposer, that he will drop his former pre- 
judices against the truth and yield to the power and 
evidence of your reason. I confess this looks like sett i ng 
up one prejudice to overthrow another; but where pre- 



OR DELIVERING FROM ERROR. 181 

jndices can not be fairly removed by the dint of reason, 
th»' wisest and best of teachers will sometimes find it 
necessary to make a way for reason and truth to take 
place, by this contrast of prejudices. 

12. When our design is to convince a whole family or 
community of persons of any mistake and to lead them 
into any truth, Ave may justly suppose there are various 
reigning prejudices among them ; and therefore it is not 
safe to attempt, nor so easy to effect it, by addressing the 
whole number at once. Such a method has been often 
found to raise a sudden alarm and has produced a 
violent opposition even to the most fair, pious, and use- 
ful proposal; so that he who made the motion could 
never carry his point. 

We must therefore first make as sure as we can of the most 
intelligent and learned, at least the most leading persons 
among them, by addressing them apart prudently and 
offering proper reasons, till they are convinced and 
engaged on the side of truth ; and these may with more 
success- apply themselves to others of tlie same community : 
yet the original proposer should not neglect to make a 
distinct application to all the rest, so far as circumstances 
admit. 

Where a thing is to be determined by a number of 
votes, he should labor to secure a good majority ; and 
then take care that the most proper persons should move 
and argue the matter in public, lest it be quashed in the 
very first proposal by some prejudice against the 
proposer. 

So unhappily are our circumstances situated in this 
world, that if truth, and justice, and goodness, could put 
on human forms, and descend from heaven to propose the 
most divine and useful doctrines, and bring with them 
the clearest evidence, and publish them at once to a 
multitude whose prejudices are engaged against them, 



188 USE YND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY. 

the proposal would be vain and fruitless, and would 
neither convince nor persuade; so necessary it is to join 
art and dexterity, together with the force of reason, to 
convince mankind of truth, unless we came furnished 
with miracles or omnipotence to create a conviction. 



CHAPTEE XIX. 

OF AUTHORITY. OF THE ABUSE OF IT: AND OF ITS REAL 
AND PROPER USE AND SERVICE. 

I. The influence which other persons have upon 
our opinions is usually called authority. The power 
of it is so great and widely extensive, that there is scarce 
any person in the world entirely free from the impres- 
sions of it, even after their utmost watchfulness and care 
to avoid it. Our parents and tutors, yea, our very 
nurses, determine a multitude of our sentiments, our 
friends, our neighbors, the custom of the country where 
we dwell, and the established opinions of mankind, form 
our belief; the great, the wise, the pious, the learned, 
and the ancient; the king, the priest, and the philosopher, 
are characters of mighty efficacy to persuade us to re- 
ceive what they dictate. These may be ranked under 
different heads of prejudice, but they are all of a kin- 
dred nature, and may be reduced to this one spring or 
head of authority. 

Cicero was well acquainted with the unhappy influences of 
authority, and complains of it in his lirst book Dc Natard 
Dcorum: "In disputes and controversies (says he) it is not so 
much the authors or patrons of any opinion, as the weight and 
force of argument, which should influence the mind. The 
authority of those who teach is a frequent hindrance to those 
who learn, because they utterly neglect to exercise their own 
judgment, taking for granted whatsoever others whom they 
reverence have judged for them. T can by no means approve 
what we learn from the Pythagoreans, that if any thing as- 



USI-] AND A.BUSE OF AUTHORITY. 189 

serted in disputation was questioned, (hoy were wont to answer, 
Ipse dixit, that is, He himself .said so, meaning Pythagoras! 

So far did prejudice prevail, (hat authority without reason was 
sufficient to determine disputes and to establish, truth." 

All human authority, though it be never so ancient, 
though it hath had universal sovereignty, and swayed all 
the learned and vulgar world for some thousands of years, 
yet has no certain and undoubted claim to truth : nor is 
it any violation of good manners to enter a caveat with 
due decency against its pretended dominion. 

II. Though it be necessary to guard against the evil 
inlluences of authority and the prejudices derived 
thence, because it has introduced thousands of errors 
and mischiefs into the world, yet there are three em- 
inent and remarkable cases wherein authority or the 
sentiments of other persons must or will determine 
the judgment and practice of mankind. 

1. Parents are appointed to judge for their children in their 
younger years, and instruct them what they should 
practice in civil and religious life. This is a dictate of 
nature, and doubtless it would have been so in a state of 
innocence. It is impossible that children should be 
capable of judging for themselves before their minds are 
furnished with a competent number of ideas, before they 
are acquainted with any principles and rules of just 
judgment, and before their reason is grown up to any 
degrees of maturity and proper exercises upon such 
subjects. 

I will not say that a child ought to believe nonsense and 
impossibility because his father bids him ; for so far as 
the impossibillity appears he can not believe it : nor will 
I say he ought to assent to all the false opinions of his 
parents, or to practice idolatry and murder, or mischief, 
at their command ; yet a child knows not any better way 
to find out what he should believe, and what he should 
practice, before he can possibly judge for himself, than 



190 USE AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY. 

to run to his parents and receive their sentiments and 
their directions. 

You will say this is hard indeed, that the child of a 
heathen idolater, or a cruel cannibal, is laid under a sort 
of necessity by nature of sinning against the light of 
nature ; I grant it is hard indeed, but it is the law of 
nature, namely, That a parent should judge for his child ; 
but if the parent judges ill, the child is greatly exposed 
by it; and from the equity and goodness of God, we may 
reasonably infer, that the great Judge of all will do right : 
he will balance the ignorance and incapacity of the child 
with the criminal nature of the offense in those puerile 
instances, and will not punish beyond just demerit. 

Besides, what could God, as a Creator, do better for 
children in their minority, than to commit them to the 
care and instruction of parents % None are supposed to 
be so much concerned for the happiness of children as 
their parents are ; therefore it is the safest step to 
happiness, according to the original law of creation, to 
follow their directions, their parents' reason acting for 
them before they had reason of their own in proper ex- 
ercise; nor indeed is there any better general rule by 
which children are capable of being governed, though in 
many particular cases it may lead them far astray from 
virtue and happiness. 

If children by Providence be cast under some happier 
instructions, contrary to their parents' erroneous opinion, 
I can not say it is the duty of such children to follow 
error when they discern it to be error, because their 
father believes it : what I said before is to be interpreted 
only of those that are under the immediate care and edu- 
cation of their parents, and not yet arrived at years 
capable of examination. 1 know not how these can be 
freed from receiving the dictates of parental authority in 
their youngest years, except by immediate or divine 
inspiration. 



USI<; AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY. 101 

It is hard to say at wliat exact time of life the child is 
exempted from the sovereignty of parental dictates. Perhaps 
it is much, juster to suppose that this sovereignty 
diminishes by degrees, as the child grows in under- 
standing and capacity, and is more and more capable of 
exerting his own intellectual powers, than to limit this 
matter by months and years. 

When childhood and youth are so far expired that the 
reasoning faculties are grown up to any just measures of 
maturity, it is certain that persons ought to begin to in- 
quire into the reasons of their own faith and practice in 
all the affairs of life and religion : but as reason does not 
arrive at this power and self-sufficiency in any single 
moment of time, so there is no single moment when a child 
should at once cast off all his former beliefs and practices ; 
but by degrees, and in slow succession, he should examine 
them, as opportunity and advantage offer, and either con- 
firm, or doubt of, or change them, according to the leading of 
conscience and reason, with all its advantages of information. 

When we are arrived at manly age, there is no person 
on earth, no set or society of men whatsoever, that have 
power and authority given them by God, the Creator and 
Governor of the world, absolutely to dictate to others 
their opinions or practices in moral and religious life. 
God has given every man reason to judge for himself, in 
higher or lower degrees. Where less is given, less will 
be required. But we are justly chargeable with criminal 
sloth and improvement of the talents with which our 
Creator has instructed us, if we take all things for 
granted which others assert, and believe and practice all 
things which they dictate without due examination. 

2. Another rase wherein authority must govern our 
assent is in many matters of fact. Here we may and ought 
to be determined by the declaration or narratives of other 
men; though I confess this is usually called testimony 



192 USE AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY. 

rather than authority. It is upon this foot that every 
sou or daughter among mankind are required to believe 
that such and such persons are their parents, for they 
can never be informed of it by the dictates of others. It 
is by testimony that we are to believe the laws of our 
country, and to pay all proper deference to the prince 
and to magistrates in subordinate degrees of authority, 
though we did not actually see them chosen, crowned, or 
invested with their title and character. It is by testi- 
mony that we are necessitated to believe there is such a 
city as Canterbury or York, though perhaps we have 
never been at either ; that there are such persons as 
papists at Paris and Eome, and that there are many 
sottish and cruel tenets in their religion. It is by testi- 
mony that we believe that Christianity and the books of 
the Bible, have been faithfully delivered down to us 
through many generations ,• that there was such a person 
as Christ our Saviour, that He wrought miracles and 
died on the cross, that He rose again and ascended to 
heaven. 

The authority or testimony of men, if they are wise and 
honest, if they had full opportunities and capacities of 
knowing the truth, and are free from all suspicion of 
deceit in relating it, might to sivay our assent ; especially 
ivhen multitudes concur in the same testimony, and when there 
are many other attending circumstances which raise the 
proposition which they dictate to the degree of moral 
certainty. 

But in this very case, even in matters of fact and 
affairs of history, we should not too easily give into all 
the dictates of tradition, and the pompous pretenses to 
the testimony of men till we have fairly examined the 
several things which are necessary to make up credible 
testimony, and to lay a just foundation for our belief. 
There are and have been so many falsehoods imposed upon 



USE AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY. 193 

inankind with specious pretenses of eye and ear wit- 
nesses, that should make us wisely cautious and justly sus- 
picious of reports ; where the concurrent signs of truth do 
not fairly appear, and especially where the matter is of 
considerable importance. And the less probable the fact 
testified is in itself, the greater evidence justly we may 
demand of the veracity of that testimony on which it 
claims to be admitted. 

3. The last case wherein authority must govern us is 
when we are called to believe what persons under inspiration 
have dictated to us. This is not properly the authority of 
men, but of God Himself ; and we are obliged to believe 
what that authority asserts, though our reason at present 
may not be able, any other way, to discover the certainty 
or evidence of the proposition ; it is enough if our faculty 
of reason, in its best exercise, can discover the divine 
authority which has proposed it. Where doctrines of 
divine revelation are plainly published, together with 
sufficient proofs of their revelation, all mankind are 
bound to receive them, though they can not perfectly 
understand them, for we know that God is true and can 
not dictate falsehood. 

But if these pretended dictates are directly contrary 
to the natural faculties of understanding and reason 
which God has given us, we may be well assured these 
dictates were never revealed to us by God Himself. 
When persons are really influenced by authority to 
believe pretended mysteries in . plain opposition to 
reason, and yet pretend reason for what they believe, 
this is but a vain amusement. 

III. I have mentioned three classes wherein mankind 
must or will be determined in their sentiments, by 
authority; that is the case of children in their minority, 
in regard of the commands of their parents; the case 
of all men, with regard to universal, and complete, and 



194 USE AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY. 

sufficient testimony of matter of fact ; and the case of 
every person, with regard to the authority of divine 

revelation, and of men divinely inspired ; and under 
each of these I have given some such limitations and 
cautions as were necessary. I proceed now to mention 
some other cases wherein we ought to pay a great 
deference to the authority and sentiments of others, 
though we are not absolutely concluded and determined 
by their opinions. 

1. When we begin to pass out of our minority, and to 
judge for ourselves in the matters of civil and religious 
life, ice ought to pay very great deference to the sentiments of 
our parents, who in time of our minority were our natural 
guides and directors in these matters. So in matters of 
science, an ignorant and unexperienced youth should 
pay great deference to the opinions of his instructors j 
and though he may justly suspend his judgment in mat- 
ters which his tutors dictate till he perceives sufficient 
evidence for them, yet neither parents nor tutors should 
be directly opposed without great and most evident rea- 
sons, such as constrain the understanding or conscience 
of those concerned. 

2. Persons of years and Jong experience in human affairs, 
when they give advice in matters of prudence or civil 
conduct, ought to have a considerable deference paid to 
their authority by those that are young and have not 
seen the world, for it is more probable that the elder 
persons are in the right. 

3. In the affairs of practical godliness there should be 
much deference paid to persons of Jong standing in virtue 
and piety. I confess, in the particular forms and cere- 
monies of religion, there may be as much bigotry and 
superstition among the old as the young; but in ques- 
tions of inward religion, and pure devotion or virtue, 
a man who has been long engaged in the sincere practice 



OF MANAGING PREJUDICES. 195 

of these things, is justly presumed to know more thau a 
youth with all his ungoverned passions, appetites, and 
prejudices about him. 

4. Men in their several prof essions and arts hi which they 
have been educated, and in which they have employed 
themselves all their days, must be supposed to have a 
greater knowledge and skill than others ; and therefore 
there is due respect to be paid to their judgments in 
those matters. 

5. In matters of fact, where there is not sufficient tes- 
timony to constrain our assent, yet there ought to be due 
deference paid to the narratives of persons wise and sober, 
according to the degrees of their honesty, skill, and op- 
portunity, to acquaint themselves therewith. 

I confess, in many of these cases, where the proposi- 
tion is a mere matter of speculation, and doth not neces- 
sarily draw practice along with it, we may delay our 
assent till better evidence appear ; but where the matter 
is of a practical nature, and requires us to act one way 
or another, we ought to pay much deference to authority 
or testimony, and follow such probabilities where we 
have no certainty ; for this is the best light we have ; and 
surely it is better to follow such sort of guidance, where 
we can have no better, than to wander and fluctuate in 
absolute uncertainty. It is not reasonable to put out 
our candle and sit still in the dark, because we have not 
the light of sun -beams. 



CHAPTER XX. 

OF TREATING AND MANAGING THE PREJUDICES OF MEN. 

T. If we had nothing but the reason of men to deal 
with, and that reason were pure and uncorrupted, it 
would then be a matter of no great skill or labor to con- 



10G OF MANAGING THE 

vince another person of common mistakes, or to persuade 
him to assent to plain and obvious truths. But alas! 
mankind stands wrapped round in errors, and en- 
trenched in prejudices; and every one of their opinions 
is supported and guarded by some thing else besides 
reason. A young bright genius, who has furnished 
himself with a variety of truths and strong arguments, 
but is yet unacquainted with the world, goes forth from 
the schools, like a knight-errant, presuming bravely to 
vanquish the follies of men, and to scatter light and truth 
through all their acquaintance : but he meets with 
huge giants and enchanted castles, strong preposses- 
sions of mind, habits, customs, education, authority, 
interest, together with all the various passions of men, 
armed and obstinate to defend their old opinions ; 
and he is strangely disappointed in his generous attempts. 
lie finds now that he must not trust to the sharpness of 
his steel and to the strength of his arm, but he must 
manage the weapons of his reason with much dex- 
terity and artifice, with skill and address, or he shall 
never be able to subdue errors and to convince 
mankind. 

II. Where prejudices are strong, there are these 
several methods to be practiced in order to convince 
persons of their mistakes and make a way for truth to 
enter into their mind. 

1. By avoiding the power and influence of the prejudice with- 
out any direct attack upon it ; and this is done by choosing 
all the slow, soft, and distant methods of proposing your 
own sentiments and your arguments for them, and by 
degrees leading the person step by step into those truths 
which his prejudices would not bear if they were pro- 
posed at once. 

Perhaps your neighbor is under the influence of super- 
stition and bigotry in the simplicity of his soul : you 



PREJUDICES OF MEN. 197 

must not immediately run upon him with violence and 
show him the absurdity or folly of his own opinions, 
though yon might be able to set them in a glaring light ; 
but you must rather begin at a distance and establish his 
assent to some familiar and easy propositions which have 
a tendency to refute his mistakes and to confirm the 
truth ; and then silently observe ivhat impression this makes 
upon, him, and proceed by slow degrees as he is able to 
bear ; and you must carry on the work, perhaps at dis- 
tant seasons of conversation : the tender or diseased eye 
can not bear a deluge of light at once. 

Therefore, we are not to consider our arguments merely 
according to our own notions of their force, and from 
thence expect the immediate conviction of others ; but 
we should regard how they are likely to be received by 
the persons we converse with ; and thus manage our 
reasoning, as the nurse gives a child drink by slow 
degrees, lest the infant should be choked, or return it all 
back again, if poured in too hastily. If your wine be ever 
so good, and you are ever so liberal in bestowing it on 
your neighbor, yet if his bottle,into which you pour it with 
freedom, has a narrow mouth, you will sooner overset the 
bottle than fill it with wine. 

2. We may expressly allow and indulge those prejudices for 
a season which seem to stand against the truth, and 
endeavor to introduce the truth by degrees, while those 
prejudices are expressly allowed, till by degrees the 
advanced truth may of itself wear out the prejudice. 

When the prejudices of mankind can not be conquered at 
once, but they will rise up in arms against the evidence 
of truth, there we must make some allowances and yield 
to them for the present, as far as we can safely do it 
without real injury to truth : and if we would have any 
success in our endeavors to convince the world, we must 
practice this complaisance for the benefit of mankind. 



198 OF MANAGING THE 

Take a student who has deeply imbibed the principles of the 
Peripatetics, and imagines certain immaterial beings called 
substantial forms to inhabit every herb, flower, mineral, metal, 
rire z water, etc., and to be the spring of all its properties and 
operations ; or take a Platonist, who believes an anima mundi, 
a universal soul of the world to pervade all bodies, to act in 
and by them according to their nature, and indeed to give 
them their nature and their special powers ; perhaps it may 
be very hard to convince these persons by argument, and con- 
strain them to yield up these fancies. Well then, let the one 
believe his universal soul, and the other go on with his notion 
of substantial forms, and at the same time teach them how 
by certain original laws of motion, and the various sizes, 
shapes, and situations of the parts of matter, allowing a con- 
tinued divine concourse in and with all, the several appear- 
ances in nature may be solved, and the variety of effects pro- 
duced, according to the corpuscular philosophy improved by 
Descartes, Mr. Boyle, and Sir Isaac Newton ; and when they 
have attained a degree of skill in this science,they will see these 
airy notions of theirs, these imaginary powers, to be so useless 
and unnecessary, that they will drop them of their own ac- 
cord : the Peripatetic forms will vanish from the mind like a 
dream, and the Platonic soul of the world will expire. 

I may give another instance of the same practice, 
where there is a prejudicate fondness of particular 
words and phrases. Suppose a man is educated in an 
unhappy form of speech, whereby lie explains some 
great doctrine of the Gospel, and by the means of this 
phrase he has imbibed a very false idea of that doctrine : 
yet he is so bigoted to his form of words, that he 
imagines if those words are omitted, the doctrine is lost. 
Noav if I can not possibly persuade him to part with his 
improper terms, I will indulge them a little, and try to 
explain them in a Scriptural sense, rather than let him 
go on in his mistaken ideas. 

I grant it is most proper there should be different 
words (as far as possible) applied to different ideas ; and 
this rule should never be dispensed with, if Ave had to 
do only with the reason of mankind ; but their various 
prejudices and zeal for some party phrases sometimes 
make it necessary that we should lead them into truth 



PREJUDICES OF MEN. 11)9 

under the covert of their own beloved forms of speech, 
rather than permit them to live and die obstinate and 
uneonvincible in any dangerous mistake: whereas an 
attempt to deprive them of their old-established words 
would raise such a tumult within them, as to render their 
conviction hopeless. 

3. Sometimes we may make use of the very prejudices 
under which a person labors in order to convince him of some 
particular truth, and argue with him upon his own 
professed principles as though they were true. This is 
called argwmentum ad hominem, and is another way of 
dealing with the prejudices of men. 

Suppose a Jew lies sick of a fever and is forbidden flesh by his 
physician ; but hearing that rabbits were provided for the 
dinner of the family, desired earnestly to eat of them ; and 
suppose he became impatient because his physician did not 
permit him, and he insisted upon it that it could do him no 
hurt. Surely rather than let hirn persist in that fancy and 
that desire, to the danger of his life, I would tell him that 
those animals were strangled, which sort of food was forbidden 
by the Jewish law, though I myself may believe that law is 
now abolished. 

In the same manner was Tenerilla persuaded to let Damon, 
her husband, prosecute a thief who broke open their house on 
a Sunday. At first she abhorred the thoughts of it, and re- 
fused it utterly, because, if the thief were condemned, ac- 
cording to the English law he must be hanged, whereas (said 
she) the law of God, in the writings of Moses, doth not appoint 
death to be the punishment of such criminals, but tells us that 
a thief should be sold for his theft. — Exod. 22: 3. But when 
Damon could not otherwise convince her that the thief ought 
to be prosecuted, he put her in mind that the theft was com- 
mitted on Sunday morning : now the same lav/ of Moses re- 
quires that the Sabbath-breaker shall surely be put to death. — 
Exod. 31 : 15 ; Numb. 15 : 35. This argument prevailed with 
Tenerilla, and she consented to the prosecution. 

Encrates used the same means of conviction when he saw a 
Muhommedan drink wine to excess, and heard him maintain 
the lawfulness and pleasure of drunkenness ; Encrates re- 
minded him that his own prophet Mahomet had utterly for- 
bidden all wine to his followers, and the good man restrained 
his vicious appetite by this superstition, when he could not 
otherwise convince him that drunkenness was unlawful, nor 
withhold him from excess. 



200 OF MANAGING PREJUDICES. 

When we find any person obstinately persisting in a 
mistake in opposition to all reason, especially if the mis- 
take be very injurious or pernicious, and we knoAV this 
person will hearken to the sentiment or authority of 
some favorite name, it is needful sometimes to use the 
opinion and authority of that favorite person, since that 
is likely to be regarded much more than reason. I con- 
fess I am almost ashamed to speak of using any influence 
of authority while I would teach the art of reasoning. 
But in some cases it is better that poor, silly, perverse, 
obstinate creatures should be persuaded to judge and act 
aright, by a veneration for the sense of others, than to be 
left to wander in pernicious errors, and continue deaf to 
all argument and blind to all evidence. They are but 
children of a larger size, and since they persist all their 
lives in their minority and reject all true reasoning, 
surely we may try to i)crsuade them to practice what is 
for their own interest by such childish reasons as they 
will hearken to : we may overawe them from pursuing 
their own ruin by the terrors of a solemn shadow, or 
allure them by a sugar-plum to their own happiness. 

But after all, we must conclude that wheresoever it can 
be done, it is best to remove and root out those preju- 
dices which obstruct the entrance of truth into the mind, 
rather than to palliate, humor, or indulge them ; and 
sometimes this must necessarily be done before you can 
make a person part with some beloved error, and lead 
him into better sentiments. 



BULLETIN OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



Anatomy. 

"Wilder and Gage's Anatomical Technology. 

Astronomy. 
Steele's New Astronomy. 

Charts. 

Barnes's Popular Folding Charts. 

Dictionary. 

Jenkins's Vest -Pocket Lexi- 
con. 

French. 

Worman's Second French 

Book. 
Worman's Hand-Book. 



I Peck's Popular Astronomy. 



Anglo-Saxon Dictionary. 



"Worman's Grammaire Fran- 

caise. 
Worman's Questionnaire. 



Geography. 
Monteith's Boys' 
iitlas. 



and Girls' 



Monteith's New Physical Ge- 
ography. 



Johnson's Beginner's 
Grammar. 



Grammar. 

Hinds's Some Topics in Eng 
lish Grammar. 

Corbett's English Grammar 

History. 

Barnes's 

Greece 
Barnes's Brief History of Med 

iaeval and Modern Peoples 



English 



Brief History of 



Barnes's Brief General His- 
tory of the World 

Hummer's Epitome of Eng- 
lish History. 



Lancaster's History of England. New Edition. 

Mathematics. 

Van Amringe's Davies's Surveying and Levelling. 

Mineralogy. 

Shepard's Systematic Mineral Becord. 



Moral and Mental Philosophy 



Janet's Elements of -Morals. 
Champlin's Intellectual Phi- 
losophy. 



Champlin's Moral Philosophy. 
Smith's Moral Philosophy. 



Phonography. 

Eames's Light-Line Short-Hand. 

Physiology. 

Hunt's Temperance Physi- I 
ology. I 

Readers. 

Barnes's New National Headers. In Five Numbers 

Rhetoric. 

Bardeeii's Sentence-Making. 

Roads and Railroads. 

Gillespie's Boads and Eailroads. 

Speller. 
Watson's Graphic Speller. 

Virgil. 
Searing's Eclogues, Bucolics, and JEneid. 



Steele's Abridged Physiology. 
Steele's Hygienic Physiology. 



Bardeen's Complete Rhetoric 



SCHOOL AID COLLEGE TEXT-BOOKS. 



NEW NATIONAL READERS. 




Barnes's 


New 


Reader. 


No. 


1. 


12mo. 


96 pages. 


Barnes's 


New- 


Reader. 


No. 


2. 


12mo. 


170 pages. 


Barnes's 


New 


Reader. 


No. 


3. 


12mo. 


240 pages. 


Barnes's 


New 


Reader. 


No. 


4. 


12mo. 


384 pages. 


Barnes's 


New 


Reader. 


No. 


5. 


12mo. 


502 pages. 



This new scries of School "Readers is prepared after a most careful and exhaustive exami- 
nation into Ihc actual wants of the. Public Schools of America, and the gathering together ol 
the best ideas of some of the most eminent educators of the, country. 

In point of mechanical execution, printing, binding, See., flic scries stands unexcelled. 
The illustrations are the most beautiful that were ever put into a school text-hook. They 
are the productions of the best artists in the country, and include examples from Church, 
Beard, Sol. Eytinge, Geo. White, J. G. Brown, Frenzeny, Cary, Lippincott, and others. 

The prominent ideas sought to be maintained in this Series are: Perfection of the ■word- 
method system; Easy gradation of lessons; Frequent reviews; Systematic drill in spell- 
ing; Judicious use of script exercises; the adoption of the conversational style; Brevity; 
Elucidation of subjects by outline drawings, to incite n taste for drawing on the part of fbc 
child; Beauty and fulness of illustration; Instrnetiveness of exercises and elevating 
interest of the stones; Adaptation to the wants of both graded and ungraded schools; 
Introduction of memory-selections from standard authors, &c. The Drawing Exercises 
and Language Lessons are a particularly valuable feature of the early numbers. 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



THE NATIONAL READERS, 



By PARKEll and WATSON. 

No. I. — National Primer .... 
No. 2. — National First Reader . . 
No. 3. — National Second Reader . 
No. 4.— National Third Reader 
No. 5. — National Fourth Reader . 
No. 6. — National Fifth Reader . . 



National Elementary Speller 
National Pronouncing Speller 



64 pp. 16° 

128 " 16° 
224 " 16° 
288 " 12° 
432 t: 12° 



600 



12 



160 pp. 16° 

18S " 12° 



THE INDEPENDENT READERS- 



By J. MADISON WATSON. 

The Independent First (r^W) Reader 
The Independent Second Reader . . 
The Independent Third Reader . . 
The Independent Fourth Reader . . 
The Independent Fifth Reader . . . 
The Independent Sixth Reader . . . 



80 pp. 16 



160 

240 
264 



An 



16° 
16° 
12° 
12° 

12° 



The Independent Child's Speller (Script) SO pp. 10° 

The Independent Youth's Speller (Script) 168 " 12° 

The Independent Complete Speller . . 162 " 16° 

Watson's Graphic Speller 128 " 16° 

Snperiorin mechanical execution, comprehensive, progressive, practical, and interesl ing. 
The Introduction gives briefly the needful instruction and exercises in the elements of 
spelling, pronunciation, words, and lines and figures. Tim Exorcises in Drawing are 
not surpassed by any school manual or set of cards, and the Writing Exeroi 'es are as 
numerous and as progressive as those of any series of -writing-books. The Vocahularii 
contains aboul 6,000 of the most useful and desirable English words, strictly classified 
with regard to form, length, sound, and topic. Their meaning and use. is learned 
from the Language, Lessons and the Dictation Reviews, ami their correct pronunciation 
is given meryvJherc. The Appendix contains Rules in Spelling, Capital Letters, Punctu- 
ation Marks, and Abbreviations. 

G 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

WATSON'S INDEPENDENT 
READERS. 



This Series is designed to meet ;i general demand for smaller and cheaper 
books than the National Series proper, and to serve as well for intermediate 
volumes of the National Headers in large graded schools requiring more books 
than one ordinary series will supply. 

Beauty. — The most casual observer is at once impressed with the unpar- 
alleled mechanical beauty of the Independent Readers. The Publishers be- 
lieve that the aesthetic tastes of children may receive no small degree of 
cultivation from their very earliest school-books, to say nothing of the impor- 
tance of making study attractive by all such artificial aids that are legitimate. 
In accordance with this view, not less than $25,000 was expended in their 
preparation before publishing, with a result which entitles them to be con- 
sidered " the perfection of common-school books." 

Selections. — They contain, of course, none but entirely new selections. 
These are arranged according to a strictly progressive* and novel method of 
developing the, elementary sounds in order in the lower numbers, and in all, 
with a view to topics and general literary style. The mind is thus led in fixed 
channels to proficiency in every branch of good reading, and the evil results of 
''scattering," as practised by most school-book authors, avoided. 

The Illustrations, as may be inferred from what has been said, are ele- 
gant beyond comparison. They are profuse in every number of the series, from 
the lowest to the highest. This is the only series published of which this 
is true. 

The Type is semi-phonetic, the invention of Professor Watson. By it every 
letter having more than one sound is clearly distinguished in all its variations 
without in any way mutilating or disguising the normal form of the letter. 

Elocution is taught by prefatory treatises of constantly advancing grade 
and completeness in each volume, which are illustrated by woodcuts in the 

lower hooks, and by blackboard diagrams in the higher. Professor Watson 
is the first to introduce practical illustrations and blackboard diagrams for 
teaching this branch. 

Foot-Notes on every page afford all the incidental instruction which the 
teacher is usually required to impart. Indices of words refer the pupil to the 
place of their first use and definition. The biographies of authors and others 
are in every sense excellent. 

Economy. — Although the number of pages in each volume is fixed at tho 
minimum, for the purpose recited above, the utmost amount of matter avail- 
able without overcrowding is obtained in the space. The pages are much 

wider and larger than those of any competitor and contain twenty per cut 
more matter than any other series of the same type and number of pa 

All the Great Features. — Besides the above all the popular features of 

the National Readers are retained except the word-building system. The 
latter gives place to an entirely new method of progressive development, based 

upon some of the best features of the word system, phonetics, and object 
lessons. 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

PARKER & WATSON'S NATIONAL 
READERS. 



The salient features of these works which have combined to render them so popular 
may be briefly recapitulated, as follows : — 

i. THE WORD-BUILDING SYSTEM. — This famous progressive method 
for young children originated and was copyrighted with these books. It constitutes a 

jinx-ess with which the beginner with worth oi one letter is gradually introduced to 
additional lists formed by prefixing or affixing single letters, and is thus led almost 
insensibly to the mastery of the more difficult constructions. This is one of the most 
striking modern improvements in methods of teaching. 

2. TREATMENT OF PRONUNCIATION. — The wants of the youngest 
scholars in this department are not overlooked. It may be said that from the first 
lesson the student by this method need never be at a loss for a prompt and accurate 
rendering of every word encountered. 

3. ARTICULATION AND ORTHOEPY are considered of primary importance. 

4. PUNCTUATION is inculcated by a series of interesting reading lessons, the 
simple perusal of which suffices to fix its principles indelibly upon the mind. 

5. ELOCUTION. —Each of the higher Readers (3d, 4th, and 5th) contains elabo- 
rate, scholarly, and thoroughly practical treatises on elocution. This feature alone has 
secured for the series many of its warmest friends. 

6. THE SELECTIONS are the crowning glory of the series. Without excep- 
tion it may be said that no volumes of the same size and character contain a collection 
so diversified, judicious, and artistic as this. It embraces the choicest gems of Eng- 
lish literature, so arranged as to afford the reader ample exercise in every department 
of style. So acceptable has the taste of the authors in this department proved, not 
only to the educational public but to the reading community at large, that thousands 
of copies of the Fourth and Fifth Readers have found their way into public and private 
libraries throughout the country, where they are in constant use as manuals of litera- 
ture, for reference as well as perusal. 

7. ARRANGEMENT. —The exercises are so arranged as to present constantly 
alternating practice in the different styles of composition, while observing a definite 
plan of progression or gradation throughout the whole. In the higher books the 
articles are placed in formal sections and classified topically, thus concentrating the 
interest and inculcating a principle of association likely to prove valuable in subse- 
quent general reading. 

8. NOTES AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. - These are full and ade- 
quate to every want. The biographical sketches present in pleasing style the history of 
every author laid under contribution. 

9. ILLUSTRATIONS. —These are plentiful, almost profuse, and of the highest 
character of art. They are found in every volume of the series as far as and including 
the Third Reader. 

10. THE GRADATION is perfect. Each volume overlaps its companion pre- 
ceding or following in the series, so that the scholar, in passing from one to another, is 
only conscious, by the presence of the new book, of the transition. 

11. THE PRICE is reasonable. The National Readers contain more matter than 
any other series in the same number of volumes published. Considering their com- 
pleteness and thoroughness, they are much the cheapest in the market. 

12. BINDING. — By the use of a material and process known only to themselves, 
in common with all the publications of this house, the National Readers are warranted 

1 itlasi any with which they may be compared, the ratio of relative durability 

being in their favor as two to one. 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



SUPPLEMENTARY READING. 



Monteith's Popular Science Reader. 

James Monteith, author of Monteith's Geographies, has here presented a Supple* 
tnentary Reading Book expressly for the work of instruction in reading and science at 

one and the same time. It presents a number of easy and interesting lessons on Natural 
Science and Natural History, interspersed with appropriate selections in prose and 
poetry from standard authors, with blackboard drawing and written exercises. It 
serves to instil the noblest, qualities of soul and mind, without rehearsing stories of 
moral and mental depravity, as is too often done in juvenile books. The book is elabo- 
rately illustrated with fine engravings, and brief notes at the foot of each page add to 
the value and teachableness of the volume. 12mo, half bound, 300 pages. 

The Standard Supplementary Readers. 

The Standard Supplementary Readers {formtrly Swi>iton' l s Supplementary Rewhrs), 
edited by William Swinton and George R. Cathrart. have been received with marked 
favor in representative quarters from Maine to California. They comprise a ^>ries of 
carefully graduated reading books, designed to connect with any series of school Readers. 
They are attractive in appearance, are bound in cloth, and the first four books are 
profusely illustrated by Fredericks, White, Dielman, Church, and others. The six books, 
which are closely co-ordinated with the several Headers of any regular series, are : — 

1. Easy Steps for Little Feet. Supplementary to First Reader. 

In this book the attractive i3 the chief aim, and the pieces have been written and 
chosen with special reference to the feelings and fancies of early childhood. 128 pages, 
bound ii cloth aud profusely illustrated. 

2. Golden Book of Choice Reading. Supplementary to Second 

Reader. 
This book represents a <rreat variety of pleasing and instructive reading, consisting of 
child-lore and poetry, nobk* examples and attractive object-reading, written specially for it. 
VSl pages, cloth, with numerous illustrations 

3 Book of Tales. Being School Readings Imaginative and Emotional 
Supplementary to Third Reader. 
In this book the youthful taste for imaginative and emotional is fed with pure and noble 
creations drawn from the literature of all nations. 272 pages, cloth. Fully illustrated. 

4. Readings in Nature's Book. Supplementary to Fourth Reader. 
This book contains a varied collection of charming readings in natural history and 

ibotany, drawn from the works of the great modern naturalists and travellers. 352 pages, 
tioth. Fully illustrated. 

5. Seven American Classics. 

6. Seven British Classics. 

The "Classics '' are suital.lt> for reading in advanced grades, and aim to instil a 
taste for the higher literature, by the presentation of gems of British and American 
authorship. 220 pages each, cloth. 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

ORTHOGRAPHY. 

Smith's Series. 

Smith's Series supplies a Speller for every class in graded schools, and comprises 
the must complete and excellent treatise on English Orthography and its companion 
branches extant. 

1. Smith's Little Speller. 

First round in the ladder of learning. 

2. Smith's Juvenile Definer. 

Lessons composed of familiar words grouped with reference to similar significa- 
tion or use, and correctly spelled, accented, and defined. 

3. Smith's Grammar-School Speller. 

Familiar words, grouped with reference, to the sameness of sound of syllables dif- 
ferently spelled. Also definitions, complete rules for spelling and formation of deriva- 
tives, and exercises in false orthography. 

4. Smith's Speller and Definer's Manual. 

A complete School Dictionary, containing 14,000 wor***, with various other useful 
matter in the way of rules and exercises. 

5. Smith's Etymology — Small and Complete Editions. 

The. first and only Etymology to recognize the Anglo-Saxon our mother tongue; 
containing also full lists of derivatives from the Latin, Greek, Gaelic, Swedish, Norman, 
&e. , &c. ; being, in fact, a complete etymology of the language for schools. 

Northend's Dictation Exercises. 

Embracing valuable information on a thousand topics, communicated in such a 
manner as at once to relieve the exercise of spelling of its usual tedium, and combine 
it with instruction of a general character calculated to profit and amuse. 

Phillip's Independent Writing Speller**- 

1. Primary. 2. Intermediate. 3. Advanced. 

Unquestionably the best results can be attained in writing spelling exercises. This 
series combines with written exercise a thorough and practical instruction in penman- 
ship. Copies in capitals and small letters are set on every page. Spaces for twenty 
words and definitions and errors are given in each lesson. In the advanced book there 
is additional space for sentences. In practical life we spell only when we write. 

Brown's Pencil Tablet for Written Spelling. 

The cheapest prepared pad of ruled blanks, with stiff board back, sufficient foi 
84 lessons of 25 words. 

Pooler's Test Speller. 

The best collection of " hard words " yet made. The more uncommon ones are fully 
defined, and the whole are arrmniiil nl jiliiihi'tioill // for convenient reference. The book 
is designed for Teachers' Institutes and "Spelling Schools," and is prepared by an 
experienced and well-known conductor of Institutes. 

Wright's Analytical Orthography. 

This standard work is popular, because it teaches the elementary sounds in a 
plain ami philosophical manner, and presents orthography and orthoepy in an easy, 
Uniform system of analysis or parsing. 

10 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



ORTHOG R APIIY — Continue! 

Barber's Complete Writing Speller. 

"The Student's Own Hand-Book of Orthography, Definitions, ana Sentences, mn. 
sisting <:>f Written Exercises in the Proper Spelling, Meaning, and Use of Words." 
(Published 1873. ) This differs from Sherwood's and other writing spellers in its more 
comprehensive character, Its blanks are adapted to writing whole sentences instead 
of detached words, with the proper divisions for numbering, corrections, &c. Such 
aids as this, like Watson's Child's Speller and Phillip's Writing Siieller, find tln-ir 
raison d'etre in the postulate that the art of correct spelling is dependent upon written, 
and not upon spoken language, for its utility, if not for its very existence. Hence 
the indirectness of purely oral instruction. 



ETYMOLOGY. 

Smith's Complete Etymology. 
Smith's Condensed Etymology. 

Containing the Anglo-Saxon, French, Dutch, German, Welsh, Danish, Gothic, Swedish, 
Gaelic, Italian, Latin, and Greek roots, and the English words derived therefrom 
accurately spelled, accented, and defined 



From Hon. Jno. G. McMynn, late State 
Superintendent of Wisconsin. 

" 1 wisli every teacher in the country 
had a copy of this work." 

From Prof. C. II. Vekiull, Pa. State 

Normal School. 

"The Etymology (Smith's) which we 
procured of yon we like much. It is the 
best, work for the class-room we have 
seen." 



From Prin. Wm. F. Phelps, Minn. Slate 
Normal. 

"The book is superb— just what is 
needed in the department of etymology 
and spelling." 

From HON. EDWARD BALLARD, Supt. oj 

m Schools, State of Maine. 

'' The author Las furnished a manual of 
singular utility for its purpose." 



DICTIONARY. 

Williams's Dictionary of Synonymes ; 

Or, Topical Lexicon. This work is a School Dictionary, an Etymology, a compilation 
of Synonymes, and a manual of General Information. It differs from the ordinary lexicon 
in being arranged by topics, instead of the letters of the alphabet, thus realizing the 
apparent paradox of a " Readable Dictionary." An unusually valuable school-book. 

Kwong's Dictionary of English Phrases. 

With Illustrative Sentences, collections of English and Chinese Proverbs, transla- 
tions of Latin and French Phrases, historical sketch of the Chinese Empire, a chrono- 
logical list of the Chinese Dynasties, brief biographical sketches of Confucius and 
of° Jesus, and complete index. ' By Kwong Ki Chin, late Member of the Chinese Edu- 
cational Mission in the United states, ami formerly principal teacher of English in the 
Government School at Shanghai, China 9C0piges. 8vo. Cloth. 

From the Hat Vllt : " The volume is one of the most curious and interest- 

ing of Linguistic works." 

From the New York Nation : " It will amaze the sand-lot gentry to be informed ihat 
this remarkable work will supplement our English dictionaries eoenjor native Americans." 

11 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



DICTIONARIES — Continued. 

Jenkins's Handy Lexicon. 
Jenkins's Vest-Pocket Lexicon. 

A dictionary of all except familiar words, including the principal scientific and tech- 
nical terms, and foreign moneys, weights, and measures. It omits grammatical and 
terminal variations, since words varying as narrate, narrative, narratively^ etc., would 
all be understood by becoming acquainted with any one of them. 

Obsolete and local words are generally omitted. 

Latin and French phrases of two or three words, and names of classical mythology 
can he I'ound in their alphabetical places. Also foreign moneys, weights, and measures. 

By omitting words which every one knows, there is room for nearly all that any one 
requires to know. 

Groschopp's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary. 

A handy Anglo-Saxon dictionary, adapted from Grein's Library of Anglo-Saxon 
poetry. By Dr. Fr. Groschopp. Translated into English, revised and corrected, with 
outline of Anglo-Saxon grammar and a list of irregular verbs, by William Malone 
Baskerville, Ph. D. (Lips.), Professor of English Language and Literature, Vanderbilt 
University, and James Albert Harrison, Professor of English and Modern Languages, 
■Washington and Lee University. 



ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 

Cobbett's English Grammar. 

With notes, by Robert Waters, Principal of West Hoboken High School. Author of 
" Life and Language of Cobbett." 

This book consists of a series of twenty-one letters, written by William Cobbett 
They are intended for schools and young persons, but more especially for sailors, 
apprentices, soldiers, and plough-boys. 

In addition to these letters there are six lessons intended to prevent statesmen from 
using false grammar and from writing in an awkward manner. 

This is the only grammar that can profitably be used without a teacher. 

The notes are written in an easy style, and are simple and plain. 

Some Topics in English Grammar. 

By Arthur Hinds. 142 pages. 16mo. Cloth. 

Teachers are almost unanimous in condemning grammars as untruthful, or inconsist- 
ent, or complicated, or as combining these faults. The distinctive features of this 
work, which is the J. G. Seott, or Westfield Normal School system, arc: the natural 
method of presenting the subjects, the cutting loose from what is mere tradition, the 
conciseness with which the matter is treated. The book should be read by every pupil 
and teacher of grammar. 

Johnson's Elements of English Grammar. Part I. 

10:> pages. 12ino. Half-bound. 

To learn the rudiments of English Grammar, there is no little book more clear and 
simple than this beginner's book, by Mr. H. P. .Johnson, of Brookhaven, Miss. It is 
based upon the, plan of questions and answers, and is adapted to the comprehension of 
the youngest learners of language. 

R. G. White's Grammar of the " Grammarless 
Tongue." 

If English can be released from rigid formulas derived from its analogies with other 
tongues, and taught as a distinct science, subject only to the laws of reason, we shall 
have "Grammar," as taught by the Fathers, fully reconciled with the modern rage for 
" Language Lessons," ami the happy middle ground of the future established. To real- 
ize this, see Professor Sill's new book. 

12 



THE NATIONAL SERIES Or STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 



SILL'S SYSTEM. 
Practical Lessons in English. 

A brief course in Grammar and Composition. I5y J. M. B. Sill. This beautiful 
book, by a distinguished and experienced teacher, at once adopted for exclusive use 
in the State of Oregon and the city of Detroit, simply releases Englisb Grammar 
from bondage to Latin and Greek formulas, our language is worthy of being taughl 
as a distinct and independent science. It is almost destitute of inflections and yet 
capable of being systematized, and its study may certainly be simplified if treated bj 
itself and for its(.-lf* alone. Superintendent Bill has cut the Gordlan knot and leads 
the van of a new school of grammarians. 



CLARK'S SYSTEM. 
Clark's Easy Lessons in Language 

Contains illustrated object-lessons of the most attractive character, and is couched 
in language freed as much as possible from the dry technicalities of the science. 

Clark's Brief English Grammar. 

Part Lis adapted to youngest learners, and the whole forms a Complete " brief 
course" in one volume, adequate to the wants of the common school. There is no- 
where published a superior text-bonk for learning tlu English tongue than this. 

Clark's Normal Grammar. 

Designed to occupy the same grade as the author's veteran "Practical" Grammar, 

though the latter is still furnished upon order. The Normal is an entirely new treatise. 
It is a full exposition of the system as des< ribed below, with all the most recent im- 
provements. Some of its peculiarities arc, — a happy blending of SYNTHESES with 
Analyses; thorough criticisms of common errors in the use of our language; and 
important improvements in the syntax of sentence's and of phrases. 

Clark's Key to the Diagrams. 

Clark's Analysis of the English Language. 

Clark's Grammatical Chart. 

The thco-y and practice of teaching grammar in American schools is meeting with a 
thorough revolution from the use of this system. While the old methods offer profi- 
ciency to the pupil only after much weary plodding and dull memorizing, this affords 
from the inception the advantage at practical Object Teaching, addressing the eye by 
means of illustrative figures; furnishes association to the memory, its most, powerful 
aid, and diverts the pupil by taxing his ingenuity. Teachers who arc using Clark's 
Grammar uniformly testify that they and their pupils find it the most interesting study 
of the school course. 

Like all great and radical improvements, the system naturally met at first with much 
inreasonable opposition. It has not only outlived the greater part of this opposition, 
ti it funis many of its warmest admirers among those who could not at first tolerate so 
radical an innovation. All it wants is an impartial trial to convince the most scep- 
tical of its merit. No one who has fairly and intelligently tested it in the school -room 
Ins ever been known to go back to the old method, A great success is already 
established, and it is easy to prophesythat the day is not far distant when it will be 
y stem of teaching English Grammar. As the System is copyrighted, no other 
text-books can appropriate this obvious and great improvement. 

Welch's Analysis of the English Sentence. 

Remarkable for its new and simple classification, its method of treating conn 

Us explanations of the idioms and constructive laws of the language, &C. 

13 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



G EOGRAPHY. 

MONTEITH'S SYSTEM. 

TWO-BOOK SERIES. INDEPENDENT COURSE. 

Elementary Geography. 

Comprehensive Geography (with 103 maps). 

flE^" These volumes are not revisions of old works, not an addition to any series, 
but are entirely new productions, — eacih by itself complete, independent, compickeu- 
sive, yet simple, brief, cheap, and popular; or, taken together, the most admirable 
" series " ever offered for a common-school course. They present the following features, 
skilfully interwoven, the student learning all about one country at a time. Always 
revised to date of printing. 

LOCAL GEOGRAPHY. — Or, the Use of Maps. Important features of the maps 
are the coloring of States as objects, and the ingenious system for laying down a much 
larger number of names for reference than are lound on any other maps of same size, 
and without crowding. 

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. —Or, the Natural Features of the Earth; illus- 
trated by the original and striking relief maps, being bird's-eye views or photographic 
pictures of the earth's surface. 

DESCRIPTIVE GEOGRAPHY. — Including the Physical; with some account 
of Governments and Races, Animals, &c. 

HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY. — Or, a brief summary of the salient points of 
history, explaining the present distribution of nations, origin of geographical 

MATHEMATICAL GEOGRAPHY. — Including Astronomical, which describes 
the Earth's position and character among planets ; also the Zones, Parallels, &c. 

COMPARATIVE GEOGRAPHY. —Or, a system of analogy, connecting new 
lessons with the previous ones. Comparative sizes and latitudes are shown on the 
margin of each map, and all countries are measured in the " frame of Kansas." 

TOPICAL GEOGRAPHY. — Consisting of questions for review, and testing 
the student's general and specific knowledge of the subject, with suggestions for 
geographical compositions. 

ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY. — A section devoted to this subject, with maps, will 
be appreciated by teachers. It is seldom taught in our common schools, because it 
has heretofore required the purchase of a separate book. 

GRAPHIC GEOGRAPHY, or Map-Drawing by Allen's "Unit of Measure- 
nent" system (now almost universally recognized as without a rival), is introduced 
;hroughont the lessons, and not as an appendix. 

CONSTRUCTIVE GEOGRAPHY. — Or, Globe-Making. With each book a set 
of map segments is furnished, with which each student may make his own globe by 
lollowing the directions given. 

RAILROAD GEOGRAPHY. — With a grand commercial map of the United 
States, illustrating steamer and railroad routes of travel in the United States, submarine 
telegraph lines, &c. Also a " Practical Tour in Europe." 



MONTEIYH AND McNALLY'S SYSTEM. 

THREE AND FIVE BOOKS. NATIONAL COURSE. 

Monteith's First Lessons in Geography. 
MonteitJYs New Manual of Geograprry. 
McNally's System of Geography. 

The new edition of McNally's Geography is now ready, rewritten throughout by 
James Monteitli and S. C. Frost. In its new dress, printed from new type, and illus- 
trated with IOC aewengravings.it is the latest, most attractive, as well as the most 
thoroughly practical book on geography extant. 

15 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 
GEOGRAPHY — Continjied, 

INTERMEDIATE OR ALTERNATE VOLUMES IN THE FIVE BOOK SERIES. 

Monteith's Introduction to Geography. 
Monteiths Physical and Political Geography. 

i. PRACTICAL OBJECT-TEACHING. —The infant scholar is first introduced 
to a picture whence he may derive notions of the shape of the earth, the phenomena of 
day and night, the distribution of land and water, and the great natural divisions, 
which mere words would fail entirely to convey to the untutored mind. Other pictures 
follow on Wie same plan, and the child's mind is called upon to grasp no idea without 
the aid of a pictorial illustration. Carried on to the higher books, this system culmi- 
nates in Physical Geography, where such matters as climates, ocean currents, the 
winds, peculiarities of the earth's crust, clouds and rain, arc pictorially explained and 
rendered apparent to the most obtuse. The illustrations used for this purpose belong 
to the highest grade of art. 

2. CLEAR, BEAUTIFUL, AND CORRECT MAPS. — In the lower num- 
bers the maps avoid unnecessary detail, while respectively progressive and affording 
the pupil new matter for acquisition each time he approaches in the constantly en- 
larging circle the point of coincidence with previous lessons in the more elementary 
books. In the Physical and Political Geography the maps embrace many new and 
striking features. One of the most effective of these is the new plan for displaying on 
each map the relative sizes of countries not represented, thus obviating much confu- 
sion which has arisen from the necessity of presenting maps in the same atlas drawn 
on different scales. The maps of "McNally" have long been celebrated for then 
superior beauty and completeness. This is the only school-bonk in which the attempt 
to make a complete atlas also clear and distinct, has been successful. The map coloring 
throughout the series is also noticeable. Delicate and subdued tints take the place of 
the startling glare of inharmonious colors which too frequently in such treatises dazzle 
the eyes, distract the attention, and serve to overwhelm the names of towns and the 
natural matures of the landscape. 

3. THE VARIETY OF MAP-EXERCISE. — Starting each time from a dif- 
ferent basis, the pupil in many instances approaches the same fact no less than SMI 
times, thus indelibly impressing it upon his memory. At the same time, this system is 
not allowed to become wearisome, the extent of exercise on each subject being grad- 
uated by its relative importance or difficulty of acquisition. 

4. THE CHARACTER AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE DESCRIP- 
TIVE TEXT. — The cream of the science has been carefully culled, unimportant 
matter rejected, elaboration avoided, and a brief and concise manner of presentation 
cultivated. The orderly consideration of topics has contributed greatly to simplicity 
Due attention is paid to the facts in history and astronomy which are inseparably con- 
nected with and important to the proper understanding of geography, and such onty 
are admitted on any terms. In a .word, the National System teaches geography as a 
si ie ice, pure, simple, and exhaustive. 

5. ALWAYS UP TO THE TIMES. — The authors of these books, editorially 
speaking, never sleep. No change occurs in the boundaries of countries or of counties, 
no new discovery is made, or railroad built, that is not at once noted and recorded, and 
the next edition of each volume carries to everv school-room the new order of things. 

6. FORM OF THE VOLUMES AND MECHANICAL EXECUTION. 
— The maps and text are no longer unnaturally divorced in accordance with the time- 
honored practice of making text-books on this subject as inconvenient and expensive as 
possible. On the contrary, all map questions are to be found on the page opposite the 
map itself, and each book is complete in one volume. The mechanical execution is 
unrivalled. Paper, printing, and binding are everything that could be desired. 

7. MAP-DRAWING. - In 1869 the system of map-drawing devised by I 
Jerome Allen was secured exclusively for this series, it. derives its claim to 

\.y and usefulness from the introduction of a fixed unit of measurement applicable to 
every map. The principles being so few, simple, and comprehensive, the subject of 
map-drawing is relieved oi all practical difficulty, (in Nos. 2, 2* and ;>, and published 
separately.) 

8. ANALOGOUS OUTLINES. —At the same time with map-drawing was also 
introduced (in No. il) a new and ingenious variety of Object Lessons, consisting of a 
tomparison of the outlines of countries with familiar objects piclorially represented. 

1G 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



GEOGRAPHY — Continued. 

9. SUPERIOR GRADATION. This is the only series which furnishes an avail- 
able volume for every possible class in graded schools, li is not contemplated that a 
pupil must necessarily go through every volume in succession to attain proficiency. 
On the contrary, two will suffice, imt three are advised ; and, if the course will admit, 
the whole series should be pursued. At all events, the hooks are at hand for selection, 
and every teacher, of every grade, can find among them one exactly suited to his class. 
the best combination for those who wish to abridge the course consists of Nos. 1, 2, 

and :l ; or, where children are somewhat advanced in other studies when they com- 
mence geography, N'os. 1*, -J, and '■>. Where but two books are admissible, Nos. 1* and 
V' , or Nos. 2 and ;;, are recommended. 





,.*"- -f 






'^JSfi? 




A Sheep Ranch in Montana. 

[Specimen Illustration from McNally's New Geography. 



17 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 
GEOGRAPHY — Contmyed. 

Monteith's Boys' and Girls' Atlas of the World. 

Showing all the political divisions of the world, with map-drawing and written exer- 
cises, or imaginary voyages, commercial routes, principal products, comparative areas 
and populations, height of mountains, lengtli of rivers, highlands, and lowlands. 1G 
full-page, finely colored maps. 4 : » pages. Small quarto. 

maps show all that is needful for the study i F geography, besides the courses of 
rivers and oceanic currents, comparative time l >y clock faces, standard time, profile 
maps, comparative latitude and extent, comparative area, comparative temperature, 
highlands and lowlands, principal products, rate of speed on rail or steamship. Partic- 
ularly valuable as a text-book where oral teaching is attempted, 

Monteith's Old Physical Geography. 

The cry of" Too much of Text-Books," so frequently heard, is most happily answered 
by this exceedingly valuable little work, entitled "Monteith's Physical Geography." 
Within a convenient-sized volume (54 pp. quartoj the author here presents all of Physi- 
cal Geography that the majority of classes can possibly lind time to pursue. 

The kindled sciences hitherto unnecessarily combined with this branch of study — 
adding far more to the size and price of the text-books than to their value- are, in this 
work either Very materially cut down or wholly eliminated. The book is admirably 
illustrated, containing over sixty very practical cuts, and a sufficient number of finely 
colored Maps, its arrangement is excellent, paper, type, binding, etc., fully in keeping 
with its other advantages, and its price so moderate that it is brought within the reach 
of all grades of schools. 

Monteith's New Physical Geography. 

Owing to the great progress made in physical science during the past few years, the 
publishers of Monteith's Physical Geography have deemed it necessary to prepare a 
new volume which shall embrace the more recent results of modern research in this held. 
The great popularity enjoyed by Monteitb s Physical Geography duringthe past twenty- 
live years warrants the assertion that the volume now presented will prove a most 
valuable addition to the geographical works of Professor Monteith, which have since 
their publication been recognized as standards. 

In presenting Monteith's New Physical Geography, the publishers desire to coll the 
attention of educators and school boards to the following points : — 

It embraces all of the recent discoveries in Physiography. Hydrography, Meteorology, 
Terrestrial Magnetism, and Vnlcanology. 

In the mechanical execution of its pages it is unsurpassed by any text-book of the 
bind ever published. 

The maps and charts bare been compiled from original sources, and therefore com- 
prise the latest discoveries pertaining to geographical science. 

While the easy stjde, graphic description, and the topical arrangement of subjects 
adapt, if especially for use in grammar schools, it will be found equally adapted for use. 
in high and normal schools. Concluding each chapter is a brief resume of the main facts 
presented therein, a feature that will commend itself to every live teacher and pupil. 

Many ol the chapters contain much new matter that has never before appeared in any 
text-book. As examples of this may be mentioned the subject of Terrestt 'ml Mat/uefism, 
in the preparation of which the author has had access to the records of the I 8 Mi - 
nctic observatory, through the courtesy of Professor Marcus Baker.U.S C. & G.S 

The subject of Volcanoes has been compiled from the observations of Professor Judd, 
who is the recognized leading authority on this subject. 

The chapters on River and Ocean Hydrography embrace many new and interesting 
facts brought to light by the new surveys of ike U.S. Engineer Corps, and by Commander 
Bartlett, U.S.N. 'Those pertaining to 'Ocean Currentsave especially important. 

The subject of Meteorology contains much new information. The Law of Storms is 
the most' complete exposition of the subject that has ever been rublished in ;i 
text-book. 

Not. the least instructive feature of the volume is the Record of Recent Geographical 
Discoveries, which contains a brief account of the explorations of De Long, Nordenskjnld, 
Srhwafka, Greely, and Shufeldt. 

It. contains lit pages, 12S illustrations, and 15 colored maps. 

18 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



GEOGRAPB 

From Supt. J. C. Gilson, Oakland, Cat. 
" I ;iin pleased, delighted, charmed wit h 
il. li is ,iu ideal work." 

From Prof. J. W. Ferrel, Bloomsburg, 

l'i lill. 

" It is a cliarming work. Beautifully 



illustrated and embracing all the depart- 
Uients that ought to be treated." 

From C B. M istcalf, Worce, U t , Mass. 

" Beautiful outside and inside. Typog- 
raphy unsurpassed. The text the be t 
feature. Synopsis at the end of each 
chapter a striking point of excellence." 



MAP-DRAWING. 

Monteith's Map-Drawing Made Easy. 

A neat little hook of outlines and instructions, giving the "corners of States" in 
suitable blanks, so thac maps can be drawn by unskilful hands from any atlas ; with 
instructions for written exercises or compositions on geographical subjects, and com- 
parative geography. 

Monteith's Manual of Map-Drawing (Allen's System). 

The only consistent plan, by which all maps are drawn on one scale. Iiy its use 
much time may be saved, and much interest and accurate knowledge gained. 

Monteith's Map- Drawing and Object Lessons. 

The last-named treatise, bound with Mr. Monteith's ingenious system for commit- 
ting outlines to memory by means of pictures of living creatures and familiar objects. 
Thus, South America resembles a dog's head; Cuba, a lizard; Italy, a boot; France, a 
coffee-pot ; Turkey, a turkey, &c, &e. 

Monteith's Colored Blanks for Map-Drawing. 

A new aid in teaching geography, which will be found especially useful in recitations, 
reviews, and examinations* The series comprises any section of the world required. 

Monteith's Map-Drawing Scale. 

A ruler of wood, graduated to the "Allen fixed unit of measurement." 



WALL MAPS. 

Monteith's Pictorial Chart of Geography. 

The original drawing for this beautiful and instructive chart was greatly admired in 
the publisher's " exhibit" at the Centennial Exhibition of 1S7G. It is a picture of the 
earth's surface with every natural feature displayed, teaching also physical geography, 
and especially the mutations of water. The uses to which man puts the earth and its 
treasures and forces, as Agriculture, Mining, Manufacturing, Commerce, and Transpor- 
tation, are also graphically portayed, so that the young learner gets a realistic idea of 
" the world we live in," which weeks of book study might fail to convey. 

Monteith's School Maps, 8 Numbers. 

The "School Series" includes the Hemispheres (2 maps), United States, North 
America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa. Price, §2.50 each. 

Each map is 28 x 34 inches, beautifully colored, has the names all laid down, and is 
substantially mounted on canvas with rollers. 

Monteith's Grand Maps, 8 Numbers. 

The "Grand Series" includes the Hemispheres (1 map). North America, United 
States, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the World on Mercator's Projection, and 

Physical Map of the World. Price, £5.00 cadi. Size, 42 x 52 inches, names laid down, 
colored, mounted, &c. 

Monteith's Sunday-School Maps. 

Including a map of Paul's Travels ($5.00), one of Ancient Canaan ($3. 00), and Mod- 
cm Palestine (§3.00), or Palestine and Canaan togethei ($5.00) 

19 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHCOL-BOOKS. 



MATHEMATICS, 



DAVIES'S COMPLETE SERIES, 

ARITHMETIC. 

Davies' Primary Arithmetic. 

Davies' Intellectual Arithmetic. 

Davies' Elements of Written Arithmetic. 

Davies' Practical Arithmetic. 

Davies' University Arithmetic. 

TWO-BOOK SERIES. 

First Book in Arithmetic, Primary and Mental. 
Complete Arithmetic. 

ALGEBRA. 

Davies' New Elementary Algebra. 
Davies' University Algebra. 
Davies' New Bourdon's Algebra. 

GEOMETRY. 
Davies' Elementary Geometry and Trigonometryc 
Davies' Legendre's Geometry. 
Davies' Analytical Geometry and Calculus. 
Davies' Descriptive Geometry. 
Davies' New Calculus. 

MENSURATION. 
Davies' Practical Mathematics and Mensuration. 
Davies' Elements of Surveying. 
Davies' Shades, Shadows, and Perspective. 

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCE. 
Davies' Grammar of Arithmetic. 
Davies' Outlines of Mathematical Science. 
Davies' Nature and Utility of Mathematics. 
Davies' Metric System. 
Davies & Peck's Dictionary of Mathematics. 

20 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

NATURAL SCIENCE — Continued. 

THE NEW SURVEYING- 

Van Amringe's Davies' Surveying. 

By Charles Davies, LL;D., author of a Full Course of Mathematics. Revised by J. 
Howard Van Amringe, A.M., Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics in Columbia College. 
56(5 pages. Svo. Full sheep. 

Davies' Surveying originally appeared as a text-book for the use of the United States 
Military Academy at West Point. It proved acceptable to a much wider held, and 
underwent changes and improvements, until tbe author's linal revision, and has remained 
the standard work on the subject for many years. 

In the present edition, 1SS3, while the admirable features which have hitherto com- 
mended the work so highly to institutions of learning and to practical surveyors have 
been retained, some of the topics have been abridged in treatment, and some enlarged. 
Others have been added, and the whole has been arranged in the order of progressive 
development. A change which must prove particularly acceptable is the transformation 
of the article on mining-surveying into a complete treatise, in which the location of 
claims on the surface, the latest and best methods of underground traversing, &c, the 
calculation of ore-reserves, and all that pertains to the work of the mining-surveyor, 
are fully explained and illustrated by practical examples. Immediately on the publica- 
tion of this edition it was loudly welcomed in all quarters. A letter received as we 
write, from Prof. R. C. Carpenter, of the Michigan State Agricultural College, says : 
" I am delighted with it. I do not know of a mure complete work on the subject, and 
I am pleased to state that it is tilled with examples of the best methods of modern 
practice. We shall introduce it as a text-book in the college course." This is a iair 
specimen of the general reception. 

Van Nostrand's Eclectic Engineering Maga- 
zine says : — 
"We find in this new work all that can 
be asked for in a text-book. If there is a 
better work than tins on Surveying, cither 
for students or surveyors, our attention 
has not been called to it." 



Mathematical Almanac and Annual 
sags :— 

"Davies is a deservedly popular author, 
and his mathematical works are text- 
books in many of the leading schools and 
colleges." 



THE NEW LEGENDRE. 

Van Amringe's Davies' Legendre. 

Elements of Geometry and Trigonometry. By Charles Davies, LL.D. Revised (188a) 
by Prof. J. H. Van Amringe of Columbia College. New pages. Svo. Full leather. 

The present edition of the Legendre is the resrp, of a careful re-examination of the 
work, into which have been incorporated such emendations in the way of greater clear- 
ness of expression or of proof as could be made without altering it in form or substance. 
Practical exercises are placed at the end of the several books, and comprise additional 
theorems, problems, and numerical exercises upon the principles of the Book or Books 
preceding. They will be found of great service in accustoming students, early in and 
throughout their course, to make for themselves practical application of geometric 
principles, and constitute, in addition, a large and excellent body of review and test 
questions for the convenience of teachers. The Trigonometry and mensuration have 
been carefully revised throughout ; the deduction of principles and rules has been sim- 
plified ; the discussion of the several cases which arise in the solution of triangles, 
plane and spherical, has been made more full and clear ■ and the whole has, in definition, 
demonstration, illustration, &c, been made to conform to the latest and best methods. 

It is believed that in clearness and precision of definition, in general simplicity and 
rigor of demonstration, in the judicious arrangement of practical exercises, in orderly 
and logical development of the subject, and in compactness of form, Davies' Legendre 
is superior to any work of its grade for the general training of the logical powers of 
pupils, and for their instruction in the great body of elementary geometric truth. 

The work has been printed from cntire.lv new plates, and no care has been spared to 
make it a model of typographical excellence. 



THE .VATIOttAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

DAVIES'S NATIONAL COURSE 
OF MATHEMATICS. 

ITS RECORD. 

In claiming for this series tlie first place among American text-books, of whatever 
class, the publishers appeal to the magnificent record which its volumes have earned 
during the thirty-jive years of Dr. Charles Davies's mathematical labors. The unremit- 
ting exertions of a life-time have placed the modern series on the same proud eminence 
among competitors that each of its predecessors had successively enjoyed in a course of 
constantly improved editions, now rounded to their perfect fruition, — for it seems 
almost that this science is susceptible of no further demonstration. 

During the period alluded to, many authors and editors in this department hpve 
started into public notice, and, by borrowing ideas and processes original with Dr. Davies, 
have enjoyed a brief popularity, but are now almost, unknown. .Many of the series of 
to-day, built upon a similar basis, and described as " modern books," are destined to a 
similar fate; while the most far-seeing eye wdl find it difficult to li x the time, on the 
basis of any data afforded bytheir past history, when these books will cease to increase 
and prosper, and fix a still firmer hold on the affection of every educated American. 

One cause of this unparalleled popularity is found in the fact that the enterprise of the 
author did not cease with the original completion of his books. Always a practical 
teacher, he has incorporated in his text-books from time to time the advantages of every 
improvement in methods of teaching, and every advance in science. During all the 
years in which he has been laboring he constantly submitted his own theories and those 
of others to the practical test of the class-room, approving, rejecting, or modifying 
them as the experience thus obtained might suggest. In this way he has been aide 
to produce an almost perfect series of class-books, in which every department of 
mathematics has received minute and exhaustive attention. 

Upon the death of Dr. Davies, which took place in 1S7U, his work was immediately 
taken up by his former pupil and mathematical associate of many year?, Prof. W. G 
Peck, L.L.D., of Columbia College. By him, with Prof. J. R. Van Anuuige, of Columbia 
College, the original series is kept carefully revised and up to the times. 



DAvrr.s's Systfm is ttif acknowledged National Standard for the United 
States, tor (he following reasons: — 

1st. It is the basis of instruction in the great national schools at West Point and 
Annapolis. 

•2d. It has received the quasi indorsement of the National Congress. 

3d. It is exclusively used in the public schools of the National Capital. 

4th. The officials of the Government uso it as authority in all cases involving mathe- 
matical questions. 

5th. Our great soldiers and sailors commanding the national armies ami navies were 
educated in this system. So have been a majority of eminent scientists in this country 
All these refer to "Davies" as authority. 

6th. A larger number of American citizens have received their education from Lhis 
than from any other series. 

7th. 'flic series has a larger circulation throughout the whole country than any other, 
being extensively used in every State in the Union. 

OO 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOjL-BOOKS. 
DAVIES AND PECK'S ARITHMETICS. 

OPTIONAL OK CONSECUTIVE. 

Tlie best thoughts of these two illustrious mathematicians are combiued in the 
following beautiful works, which are the natural successors of Daviess Arithmetics, 
sumptuously printed, and bound in crimson, green, and gold: — 

Davies and Peck's Brief Arithmetic. 

Also called the " Elementary Arithmetic. " It is the shortest presentation of the sub- 
ject, and is adequate for all grades in common schools, being a thorough introduction to 
practical life, except Cor the specialist. 

At first the authors play with the little learner for a few lessons, by object-teaching 
ami kindred allurements; but he soon begins to realize that study is earnest, as he 
becomes familiar with the simpler operations, and is delighted to find himself master of 
important results. 

The second part reviews the Fundamental Operations on a scale proportioned tu 
the enlarged intelligence of the learner. It establishes the General Principles and 
Properties of Numbers, and then proceeds to Fractions. Currency and the Metric 
System are fully treated in connection with Decimals. Compound Numbers and .Re- 
duction follow, and finally Percentage with all its varied applications. 

An Index of words and principles concludes the book, for which every scholar and 
most teachers will be grateful. How much time has been spent in searching for a hall- 
forgotten definition or principle in a former lesson ! 

Davies and Peck's Complete Arithmetic. 

This work certainly deserves its name in the best sense. Though complete, it is not, 
like most others which bear the same title, cumbersome. These authors excel in clear, 
lucid demonstrations, teaching the science pure and simple, yet not ignoring convenient 
methods and practical applications. 

For turning out a thorough business man no other work is so well adapted. He will 
have a clear comprehension of the science as a whole, and a working acquaintance 
with details which must serve him well in all emergencies. Distinguishing features of 
the. book are the logical progression of the subjects and the great variety of practical 
problems, not puzzles, which are beneath the dignity of educational science. A clear- 
minded critic has said of Dr. Peck's work that it is free from that juggling with 
numbers which some authors falsely call " Analysis." A series of Tables for converting 
ordinary weights and measures into the Metric System appear in the later editions. 



PECK'S ARITHMETICS. 
Peck's First Lessons in Numbers. 

This book begins with pictorial illustrations, and unfolds gradually the science of 
numbers. It noticeably simplifies the subject by developing the principles of addition 
and subtraction simultaneously ; as it does, also, those of multiplication and division. 

Peck's Manual of Arithmetic. 

This book is designed especially or those who seek sufficient instruction to carry 
them successfully through practical life, but have not time for extended study. 

Peck's Complete Arithmetic. 

This completes the series but is a much briefer book than most of the complete 
arithmetics, and is recommended not only for what it contains, but also for what is 
omitted. 

It maybe said of Dr. Peck's books more truly than of any other series published, that 
they are clear and simple in definition and rule, and that superfluous matter of every 
kind has been faithfully eliminated, thus magnifying the. working value, of the book 
and Raving unnecessary expense of time and labor. 

23 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



BARNES'S NEW MATHEMATICS. 

In this series Joseph Ficklin, Ph. ])., Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy 
in the University of Missouri, lias combined all the best and latest results of practical 
and experimental teaching of arithmetic with the assistance of many distinguished 
mathematical authors. 



Barnes's Elementary Arithmetic. 
Barnes's National Arithmetic. 

These two works constituti arithmetical course in two hooks. 

They meet the demand for text-books that will help students to acquire the greatest 
amount of useful and practical knowledge of Arithmetic by the smallest expenditure of 
time, tabor, and money. Nearly every topic in Written Arithmetic is introduced, and its 
principles illustrated, by exercises in Oral Arithmetic. The free use of Equations ; the 
concise method of combining and treating Properties of Numbers; the treatment of 
Multiplication and Division of Fractions in two cases, and then reduced to one; Can- 
cellation by the use of the vertical line, especially in Fractions, Interest, and Proportion ; 
the brief, simple, and greatly superior method of working Partial Payments by the 
"Time Table " and Cancellation ; the substitution of formulas to a great extent for 
rules; the full and practical treatment of the Metric System, &c, indicate their com- 
pleteness. A variety of methods and processes for the same topic, which deprive 'lie 
pupil of the great benetit of doing a part of the thinking and labor for himself, have 
been discarded The statement of principles, definitions, rules, &c, is brief and simple. 
The illustrations and methods are explicit, direct, and practical. The great number 
and variety of Examples embody the actual business of the day. The very large 
amount of matter condensed in so small a eomi>ass has been accomplished by econo- 
mizing every line of space, by rejecting superfluous matter and obsolete terms, and bv 
avoiding the repetition of analyses, explanations, and operations in the advanced topics 
which have been used in the more elementary parts of these books. 

AUXILIARIES. 

For use in district schools, and for supplying a text-book in advanced work for 
classes having finished the course as given in the ordinary Practical Arithmetics, ihu 
National Arithmetic has been divided and bound separately, as follows : — 

Barnes's Practical Arithmetic. 

Barnes's Advanced Arithmetic. 

In many schools there are classes that for various reasons never reach beyond 
Percentage. It is just such eases where Barnes's Practical Arithmetic will answer a 
good purpose, ataprice to thepwpU much less than to buy the complete book. On the 
other hand, classes having linidied the ordinary Practical Arithmetic can proceed 
with the higher course by using Barnes's Advanced Arithmetic. 

For primary schools requiring simply a table book, and the earliest rudiments 
forcibly presented through object-teaching and copious illustiations, we have 
prepared 

Barnes's First Lessons in Arithmetic, 
which begins with the most elementary notions of mini hers, and proceeds, by simple 
steps, to develop all the fundamental principles of Arithmetic. 



Barnes's Elements of Algebra. 

This work, as its title indicates, is elementary in its character ami suitable for use, 
(1) in such public schools as give instruction in the Elements Of Algebra :(•->) in institu- 
tions 01 learning whose courses of study do not include Higher Algebra ; (3) in schools 
whose object is to prepare students tor entrance into our colleges and universities. 
Ibis book will also meet the wants of students of Physics who require some knowlodge ot 

21- 



THE NATfOJVAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



Algebra. The student's progress in Algebra depends very largely upon the proper treat- 
ment of th< Four Fundamental Operations. The terms Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, 
and Dicisiuti in Algebra have a wider meaning than in Arithmetic, and these operations 
have been so defined as to include their arithmetical meaning ; so that the beginner 
is sinryly called upon to enlarge his views of those fundamental operations. Much 
attention lias been given to the explanation of the negative sign, in order to remove the 
well-known difficulties in the use and interpretation of that sign. Special attention is 
heir called to " a Short Method of Removing Symbols of Aggregation," Art. 70. On 
account of their importance, the subjects of Factoring, Greatest Common Divisor, and 
Least Common Multiple have been treated at greater length than is usual in elementary 
works. In the treatment of Fractious, a method is used which is quite simple, and", 
it the same time, more general than that usually employed. In connection with Radical 
Quantities the roots are expressed by fractional exponents, for the principles and rules 
applicable to integral exponents may then be used without modification. The Equation 
is made the chief subject of thought in this work. It is defined near the beginning, 
and used extensively in every chapter. In addition to this, four chapters are devoted 
exclusively to the subject of Eiiuatious. All Proportions are equations, and in their 
treatment as such all the difficulty commonly connected with the subject of Proportion 
disappears. The chapter on Logarithms will doubtless be acceptable to many teachers 
who do not require the student to master Higher Algebra before entering upon the 
study of Trigonometry. 



HIGHER MATHEMATICS. 
Peck's Manual of Algebra. 

Bringing the methods of Bourdon within the range of the Academic Course. 

Peck's Manual of Geometry. 

By a method purely practical, and unembarrassed by the details which rather confuse 
than simplify science. 

Peck's Practical Calculus. 
Peck's Analytical Geometry. 
Peck's Elementary Mechanics. 
Peck's Mechanics, with Calculus. 

The briefest treatises on these subjects now published. Adopted by the great Univer- 
sities : Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, &c. 

Macnie's Algebraical Equations. 

Serving as a complement to the more advanced treatises on Algebra, giving special 
attention to the analysis and solution of equations with numerical coefficients. 

Church's Elements of Calculus. 

Church's Analytical Geometry. 

Church's Descriptive Geometry. With plates. 2 vols. 

These volumes constitute the "West Point Course " in their several departments 
Trof. Church was long the eminent professor of mathematics at West Point Military 
Academy, and his works are standard in all the leading colleges. 

Courtenay's Elements of Calculus. 

A .standard work of the very highest grade, prese*ting the most elaborate attainable 
survey of the subject. 

Hackley's Trigonometry. 

With applications to Navigation and Surveying, Nautical and Practical Geometry, 
and Geodesy. 

25 



THi NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARO SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



BARNES'S 



ONE-TERM 
SERIES. 



HISTORY 



AllfBffiSS 




A Brief History of the United 
States. 

This is probably the most original school-book pub 
lished for many years, in any department. A few of its- 
claims are the following : — 

1. Brevity. —The text is complete for grammar school 
or intermediate classes, in 290 12mo pages, large type, 
It may readily be completed, if desired, in one term of 
study. 

2. Comprehensiveness. — Though so brief, this hook 
contains the pith of all the wearying contents of the larger 
manuals, and a great deal more than the memory usually 
retains rom the latter. 

3. Interest has been a prime consideration. Small 
hooks have heretofore been hare, full of dry statistics, unattractive. This one is 
charmingly written, replete with anecdote, and brilliant with illustration. 

4. Proportion of Events. — It is remarkable for the discrimination with which 
the different portions of our history are presented accordingto their importance. Thus 
the older works, being already large books when the Civil War took place, give it less 
space than that accorded to the Revolution. 

5. Arrangement. — In six epochs, entitled respectively, Discovery and Settlement, 
the Colonies, the Revolution, Growth of States, the Civil War. and Current Events. 

6. Catch Words. — Bach paragraph is preceded by its leading thought in promi- 
nent type, standing in the student's mind for the whole paragraph. 

7. Key Notes. — Analogous with this is the idea of grouping battles, &c, about 
some central event, which relieves the sameness so common in such descriptions, and 
renders each distinct by some striking peculiarity of its own. 

8. Foot-Notes.— these are crowded with interesting matter that is not strictly a 
part of history proper. They may be learned or not, at pleasure. They are certain 
in any event to be read. 

9. Biographies of all the leading characters are given in full in foot-notes. 

10. Maps. — Elegant and distinct maps from engravings on copper-plate, and beauti- 
fully • dorcd, precede each epoch, and contain all the places named. 

11. Questions are at the back of the book, to compel a more independent use of the 
text. .Both text and questions are so worded that the pupil must give intelligeut 
answers in his own WORDS. " Yes" and " No " will not do. 

27 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



niSTORY — Continued. 

12. Historical Recreations. — These are additional questions to test the student's 
knowledge, in review, as: " What trees are celebrated in our history?" "When 

tlid a fog save our army?" "What Presidents died in office?" ''When was the 
Mississippi our western boundary?" "Who said, 'I would rather be right than 
President'?" &e. 

13. The Illustrations, about seventy in number, are the work of our best artists 
and en-ravers, produced at great expense. They arc vivid and interesting, and mostly 
upon subjects never before illustrated in a school-book. 

14. Dates. — Only the leading dates are given in the text, and these are so associated 
as to assist the memory, but at the head of each page is the date of the event first 
mentioned, and at the close of each epoch a summary of events and dates. 

15. The Philosophy of History is studiously exhibited, the causes and effects 
of events being distinctly traced and their inter-connection shown. 

16. Impartiality. — All sectional, partisan, or denominational views are avoided. 
Facts are stated after a careful comparison of all authorities without the least prejudice 
or favor. 

17. Index. — A verbal index at the close of the book perfects it as a work of reference. 
It will be observed that the above are all particulars in which School Histories have 

been signally defective, or altogether wanting. Many other claims to favor it shares in 
common with its predecessors. 



TESTIMONIALS. 



From Prof. Wm. F. Allen, State Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin. 
"Two features that I like very much 
are the anecdotes at the foot of the page 
and the ' Historical Recreations' in the 
Appendix. The latter, I think, is quite 
a new feature, and the other is very well 
executed." 

From Hon. Newton Bateman, Superin- 
tendent Public Instruction, Illinois. 
" Barnes's One-Term History of the 
United States is an exceedingly attrac- 
tive and spirited little book. Its claim 
to several new and valuable features seems 
well founded. Under the form of six well- 
defined epochs, the history of the United 
States is traced tersely, yet pithily, from 
the earliest times to the present day. A 
good map precedes each epoch, whereby 
the history and geography of the period 
may be studied together, as they always 
shoul I be. The syllabus of each paragraph 
is made to stand in such bold relief, by 
the use of large, heavy type, as to be of 
much mnemonic value to the student. The 
book is written in a sprightly and pi- 
quant style, the interest never Bagging 
from beginning to end,— a rare and dilii- 
cult achievement in works of this kind.'' 

From Hon. Abner J. Phipps, Superin- 
tendent S-h wis, L wiston, Maine. 
11 Barnes's History of the United States 



has been used for several years in the 
Lewiston schools, and has proved a very 
satisfactory work. I have examined the 
new edition of it." 

From Hon. R. K. Buciiell, City Superin- 
tendent Schools, Lancaster, Pa. 

" It is the best history of the kind I have 
ever seen." 

From T. J. Charlton, Superintendent 
Public Schools, Vhicennes, Ind. 
"We have used it here for six years, 
and it has given almost perfect satisfac- 
tion. . . . The notes in fine print at the 
bottom of the pages are of especial value." 

From Prof. Wm. A. Mowrv, E. .]• C. 
School, Providence, R. I. 

" Permit me to express my high appre- 
ciation of your book. I wish all text- 
books for the young had equal merit." 

From Hon. A. M. Keiley, City Attorney, 
Late Mayor, and President, of the School 
Board, City of Richmond, Fa. 
" I do not hesitate to volunteer to you 
the opinion that r.arnes's History is en- 
titled to the preference in almost every 
respect that distinguishes a good school- 
book. . . . The narrative generally exhibits 
the temper of the judge; rarely, if ever - , 
of the advocate.'' 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 




%»W.l 



^«K£l 




AtfilHMfFBlBB'B 

'I 



lyyuyus 



^Ia( Jw 



■mmm 



A Brief History of An- 
cient Peoples. 

With an account of their monuments, 
literature, and manners. 340 pages. 
12mo. Profusely illustrated. 

In this work the political history, 
which occupies nearly, if not all, 
the ordinary school text, is condensed 
to the salient and essential facts, in 
order to give room for a clear outline 
of the literature, religion, architect lire, 
character, habits, &c, of each nation. 
Surely it is as important to know some- 
thing about Plato as all about Caesar, 
and to learn how the ancients wrote 
their books as how they fought their 
battles. 

The chapters on Manners and Cus- 
toms and the Scenes in Real Life repre- 
sent the people of history as men and 
women subject to the same wants, hopes 
and fears as ourselves, and so brfag the distant past near to us. The Scenes, which are 
intended only for reading, are the result of a careful study of Hie unequalled collections of 
monuments in the London and Berlin Museums, of the ruins in Rome and Pompeii, and 
of the latest authorities on the domestic life of ancient peoples. Though intentionally 
written in a semi-romantic style, they are accurate pictures of what might have occurred, 
and some of them are simple transcriptions of the details sculptured in Assyrian 
cdabaster or painted uu Egyptian walls. 

29 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



HISTORY — Continued. 

The extracts made from the sacred hooks of the East are not specimens of their style 
and teachings, but only gems selected often from a massof matter, much of which would 
he absurd, meaningless, and even revolting. It has not seemed best to cumber a book 
like (his with selections conveying no moral lesson. 

Ihe numerous cross-references, the abundant dates in parenthesis, the pronunciation 
of the names in the Index, the choice reading references at the close of each general 
subject, and the novel Historical Recreations in the Appendix, will be of service to 
teacher and pupil alike. 

Though designed primarily for a text-hook, a large class of persons — general readers, 
who desire to know something about the progress of historic criticism and iiie recent 
discoveries made among the resurrected monuments of the East, hut have no leisure to 
read the ponderous volumes of Brugsch, Layard, (..rote, Momnisen, and lime — will lind 
this volume just what they need. 



From Homer 13. Spragub, Head Master 
Girls' High School, West Newton St., Bos- 

t')i, Mass. 

"1 beg to recommend in strong terms 
the adoption of Barnes's 'History of 



Ancient Peoples' as a text-hook. It is 
about as nearly perfect as could be 
hoped for. The adoption would give 
great relish to the study of Ancient 
History." 




HE Brief History of France, 



By the author of the " Brhf United States, 
with all the attractive features of that popu- 
lar work (which see) and new ones of its own. 
It is believed that the History of France 
has never before been presented in such 
brief compass, and this is effected without 
sacrificing one particle of interest. The book 
reads like a romance, and, while drawing the 
student by an irresistible fascination to his 
task, impresses the great outlines indelibly ui>on the memory. 

30 






THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



HISTORY — Continued. 

Barnes's Brief History of Mediaeval and Modern 
Peoples. 

The success of the History of Ancient Peoples was immediate and great. A History 
Of Mediaeval and Modern History, upon the same plan, was the natural sequence. 
Those teachers who used the former will be glad to know that the latter book is now 
ready, and classes can go right on without changing authors. 

The New York School Journal say; 



" The fine-print notes. . . work a Ueld 
not widely developed until Green's His- 



tory of English People appeared, relating 
to the description of real, every-day life 
uf the people." 



This work distinguishes between the period of the world's history from the Fall of 
Koine (a.d. 470) to the Capture of Constantinople (a.d. 1453), — about one thousand 
years, called "Middle Ages," — and the period from the end of the fifteenDh century to 
the present time. It covers the entire time chronologically and by the order of events, 
giving one hundred and twenty-two tine illustrations and sixteen elaborate maps. 




from Barnes's Brief - History 
Series.] 

The subject has never before been so in- 
terestingly treated in ln-ief compass. The Po- 
litical Historj of each nation is firsl given, 
then the Manners and Customs of th< People. 
A better idea of the growth of civilization and 
the changes in the condition of mankind can- 
not be found elsewhere. The honk is lifted 
for private reading, as well as schools. 

31 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS, 



HISTORY — Continued. 

Barnes's Brief General History. 

Comprising Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern Peoples. 

The special features of this book are as follows: — 

The General History contains GOO pages. Of this amount, 350 pages are devoted to 
the political history, and 250 pages to the civilization, manners, and customs, etc. The 
latter are in separate chapters, and if thetimeof the teacher is limited, may be omitted. 
The class can thus take only the political portion when desired, 'the teacher will have, 
however, the satisfaction of knowing that, such is the fascinating treatment of the 
civilization, literature, etc., those chapters will be carefully read by the pupils ; and, ou 
the principle that knowledge acquired from love alone is the most vivid, will probably 
be the best-remembered part of the book. This portion of the book is therefore ail 
clear gain. 

The Black-board Analysis. See p. 314 as an example of this marked feature. 

The exquisite Illustrations, unrivalled by any text-book. Bee pp. 9, 457, and 5S2, as 
samples of the 240 cuts contained in this beautiful work. 

The peculiar Summaries, and valuable, lists of Reading References. See p. 417. 

The numerous and excellent colored Maps. These are so lull as to answer tor an 
extensive course of collateral reading, and are consequently useful for reference outside 
of class-work. See pp. 299 and 317. 

The Scenes in Real Life, which are the result of a careful study of the collections 
and monuments in the London, Paris, and Berlin museums, and the latest authorities 
n pon the domestic, life of the people of former times. See pp. 38-39. This scene — 
a Lord of the IVth Dynasty — is mainly a transcription of details to be found painted 
on the walls of Egyptian tombs. 

The chapters on Civilization that attempt to give some idea of the Monuments, Arts, 
Literature, Education, and Manners and Customs of the different nations. See pp 171, 
180, 270, 279, 472, and 514. 

The admirable Genealogical Tables interspersed throughout the text. See pp. 340 
and 494. 

The Foot-Notes that are packed full of anecdotes, biographies, pleasant information, 
and suggestive comments. As an illustration of these, take the description of the 
famous sieges of Haarlem and Leyden, during the Dutch War of Independence, pp. 440 
and 448. 

The peculiar method of treating Early Roman History, by putting in the text the 
facts as accepted by critics, and, in the notes below, the legends. See pp. 205-6. 

The exceedingly useful plan of running collateral history in parallel columns, as Tor 
example on p. 361, taken from the Hundred Years' War. 

The Historical Recreations, so valuable in arousing the interest of a class. Sec 
p. xi from the Appendix. 

The striking opening of Modern History on pp. 423-4. 

The interesting Style, that sweeps the reader along as by the fascination of a novel. 
The pupil insensibly acquires a taste for historical reading,' and forgets the tediousness 
of the ordinary lesson in perusing the thrilling story of the past See pn 2V-1 

Special attention is called to the chapter entitled Rise of Modern Nations, — 
England, France, and Germany. The characteristic feature in the medieval historv of 
each of these nations is made prominent, (a.) After the Four Conquests of England, 
the central idea in the growth of that people was the Development of Constitutional 
Liberty. (!>.) The feature of French historv was the conquest of the ptreat vassals l>y 
the king, the triumph of royalty over feudalism, and the final consolidation of the 
scattered fiefs into one grand monarchy, (c.) The characteristic, of German history was 
disunion, emphasized by the lack of a central capital citv. and by an elective rather than 
an hereditary monarchy. The struggle of the Crown with its powerful vassals was the 
same as in France, but developed no national sentiment, and ended in the establishment 
of semi-independent dukedoms. 

These three thonghts furnish the beginner with as many threads on which to string 
the otherwise isolated facts of this bewildering period. 



32 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



HISTORY — Conti 

Barnes's Brief History of Greece. 

204 pages. 12nio. Cloth. Illustrated. 

This book was primarily prepared for the Cliatauqua Course in History, but is well 
adapted to the wants of all students. It consists of tlie chapters on the Political History 
and Civilization of Greece, in Barnes's "Brief History of Ancient Peoples," and a number 
of appropriate selections from the works of such historians as Curtius, Grotc, Thirlwall. 
Smith, Fyffe, Cox, Schnritz, Rawlinson, and others. By the study of this little book the 
reader will gain a very substantial idea of the history of' Greece, in whose career the rest of 
Hie world is so largely concerned. 




imeu Illustration from Barnes's Jjiiei'-liisiory series, j 



Kummer's Epitome of English History. 

With Questions for Examination. By S. Agnes Kmnmer, revised by A. M. Chandler of 
the Edgcworth School, Baltimore, Md. 150 pages. l2mo. Cloth. 

the success of the first edition of this book in several schools leads to its reproduction 
willi additions. It is not designed to supersede the study of more comprehensive text-books 

of history, but merely to act as a handmaiden to them, by presenting in a condensed form 
the principal facts and dates. 



SHEPARD'S SYSTEMATIC MINERAL RECORD. 

With a synopsis of terms and chemical reactions used in describing minerals. Pre- 
pared for instructors and atudents in mineralogy. Adapted to any text-book. 22 pages 
of descriptive and explanatory text, and 7a blank pages for record. 

u 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



mm. 


ililifi 


mmm 


M 


mm 






IIP 


WWWM 


//M 


ijjlli! 


y^jiT, 




tfwJ 





GENERAL HISTORY. 

Monteith's Youth's History of the United States. 

A History of the United States for beginners. It is arranged upon the catechetical plan, 
with illustrative maps and engravings, review questions, dates in parentheses (that their 
study may be optional with the younger class of learners), and interesting biographical 
sketches of all persons who have been prominently identified with the history of our 

country. 

Willard's United States. School and University Editions. 

The plan of this standard wor.< is chronologically exhibited in front of the titlepage. 
The maps and sketches are found useful assistants to the memory ; and dates, usually 
so difficult to remember, are so systematically arranged as in a great degree to obviate 
the difficulty. Candor, impartiality, and accuracy are the distinguishing features of 
the narrative portion. 

Willard's Universal History. New Edition. 

The most valuable features of the " United States " are reproduced in this. The 
peculiarities of the work are its great conciseness and the prominence given to the 
chronological order of events. The margin marks each successive era with great dis- 
tinctness, so that the pupil retains not only the event but its time, and thus lixes the 
order of history firmly and usefully in his mind. Mrs. Willard's books are constantly 
revised, and at all times written up to embrace important historical events of recent 
date. Professor Arthur Gibnan has edited the last twenty-live years to 1SS2. 

Lancaster's English History. 

By the Master of the Stoughton Grammar School, Boston. The most practical of the 
"brief books." Though short, it is not a bare and uninteresting outline, but contains 
enough of explanation and detail to make intelligible the canst and effect of evenis. 
Their relations to the history and development of the American people is made specially 
prominent. 

Willis's Historical Reader. 

Being Collier's Great Events of History adapted to American schools. This rare 
epitome of general history, remarkable for its charming style and judicious selection of 
events on which the destinies of nations have tinned, has been skilfully manipulated 
by Professor Willis, with as few changes as would bring the United States into its proper 
position in the historical perspective. As reader or text-book it has lew equals and no 
superior. 

Berard's History of England. 

By an authoress well known for the success of her History of the United Stales 
The social life of the English people is felicitously interwoven, as in fact, with the civil 



d military transac 



of th 



Ricord's History of Rome. 

Possesses the charm of an attractive romance. The fables with which this history 
abounds are introduced in such a way as not to deceive the inexperienced, while adding 
materially to the value of the work as a reliable index, to the character and institutions, 
as well as the. histoiv of the Roman people. 



35 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 
HISTORY — Continued, 

Hanna's Bible History. 

The only compendium of Bible narrative which affords a connected and chronological 
view of the important events there recorded, divested of all superfluous detail. 

Summary of History ; American, French, and English. 

A well-proportioned outline of leading events, condensing the substance of the more 
sxtensive texb-books in common use into a series dt statements so brief, that every 
word may be committed to memory, and yel so comprehensive that it presents an 
accurate though general view of the whole continuous life of nations. 

Marsh's Ecclesiastical History. 

Affording the History of the Church in all ages, with accounts of the pagan world 
during the biblical periods, an I the character, rise, and progress of all religions, as well 
as the various sects of the worshippers of Christ The work is entirely non-sectarian, 
though strictlv catholic. A. separate volume contains carefully prepared questions for 

class use. 

Mill's History of the Ancient Hebrews. 

With valuable Chronological Charts, prepared by Professor Edwards of NY. This 
is a succinct account of the chosen people of God to the time of the destruction of 
Jerusalem. Complete in one volume. 

Topical History Chart Book. 

By Miss Ida P. Whitcomb. To be used in connection with any History, Ancient or 
Modern, instead of the ordinary blank book for summary. It embodies the names of 
contemporary rulers from the earliest to the present time, with blanks under each, in 
which the pupil may write the summary of the life of the ruler. 

Gilman's First Steps in General History. 

A "suggestive outline" of rare compactness. Each country is treated by itself, and 
the United states receive special attention. Frequent maps, contemporary events in 
tables, references to standard works for fuller details, and a minute Index constitute 
the " Illustrative Apparatus." From no other work that we know of can so succinct a 
view of the world's history be obtained. Considering the necessary limitation of space, 
the style is surprisingly vivid, and at times even ornate. In all respects a charming, 
though not the less practical, text-book. 

Baker's Brief History of Texas. 
Dimitry's History of Louisana. 
Alison's Napoleon First. 

The history of Europe from 17S8 to 1S15. By Archibald Alison. Abridged by Edward 
S Gould tine vol., Svo, with appendix, questions, and maps. 050 pages. 

Lord's Points of History. 

The salient points in the history of the world arranged cateehetically for class use m 
for review and examination of teacher or pupil. By John Lord, LL.D. 12mo, 300 
page*. 

Carrington's Battle Maps and Charts of the American 
Revolution. 

Topographical Maps and Chronological Charts of every battle, with 3 steel portraits 
of Washington. Svo, cloth. 

Condit's History of the English Bible. 

For theological and historical students this book has an intrinsic value. It gives the 
history of all the English translations down to the present time, together with a careful 
revi.w of their inlluenee upon English literature and language. 

3G 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



DRAWING. 



BARNES'S POPULAR DRAWING SERIES. 

Based upon the experience of the most successful teachers of drawing in the United 
Rtates. 

The Primary Course, consisting of a manual, ten cards, and three primary 
hawing hooks, A, 15, and U. 

Intermediate Course. Pour numbers and a manual. 

Advanced Course, b'our numbers and a manual. 

Instrumental Course. Pour numbers and a manual. 

'i lie Intermediate, Advanced, and Instrumental Courses are furnished either in hook 
or card form at the same prices. The hooks contain the usual blanks, with the unusual 
advantage of opening from the pupil, — placing the copy directly in front and above 
the blank, thus occupying but little desk-room. The cards are. in the end more, econom- 
ical than the books, if used in connection with the patent blank folios that accompany 
this scries. 

The cards are arranged to be bound (or tied) in the folios and removed at pleasure. 
The pupil at the end of each number has a complete book, containing only his own 
work, while the copies are preserved and inserted in another fol.o ready for use in the 
next class. 

Patent Blank Folios. No. 1. Adapted to Intermediate Course. No. 2. Adapted 
to Advanced and instrumental Courses. 

ADVANTAGES OF THIS SERIES. 

The Plan and Arrangement. — The examples are so arranged that teachers and 
pupils can see, at a glance, how they are to be treated and where they are to be copied. 
In this system, copying and designing do not receive all the attention. The plan is 
broader in its aims, dealing with drawing as a branch of common-school instruction, 
ok4 giving it a wide educational value. 

Correct Methods. — In this system the pupil is led to rely upon himself, and not 
upon delusive mechanical aids, as printed guide-marks, &c. 

One of the principal objects of any good course, in freehand drawing is to educate the 
eye to estimate location, form, and size. A system which weakens the motive or re- 
moves the necessity of thinking is false in theory and ruinous in practice. The object 
should be to educate, not crani ; to develop the intelligence, not teach tricks. 

Artistic Effect— The beauty of the examples is not destroyed by crowding the 
pages with useless and badly printed text. The Manuals contain all necessary 
instruction. 

Stages of Development. —Many of the examples are accompanied by diagrams, 
showing the different stages of development. 

Lithographed Examples. — The examples are printed in imitation of pencil 
drawing (not in hard, black lines) that the pupil's work may resemble them. 

One Term's Work. — Each book contains what can be accomplished in an average 
term, and no more. Thus a pupil finishes one book before beginning another. 

Quality — not Quantity. — Success in drawing depends upon the amount of thought 
exercised hy the pupil, and not upon the large number of examples drawn. 

Designing.— Elementary design is more skilfully taught in this system than by 
any other, in addition to the instruction given in the books, the pupil will find printed 
on the insides of the covers a variety of beautiful patterns. 

Enlargement and Reduction. — The practice of enlarging and reducing from 
copies is not commenced until the pupil is wc41 advanced in the course and therefore 
better able to cope with this difficult feature in drawing. 

Natural Forms. —This is the only course that gives at convenient internals easy 
and progressive exercises in the drawing of natural forms. 

Economy. —By the patent binding described above, the copies need not Vie thrown 

aside when a 1 k is tilled out, but are preserved in perfect condition for future use. 

'the blank books, only, will have to De purchased afterthc first introduction, thus effect- 
ing a saving of more than half in the usual cost of drawing-books. 

Manuals for Teachers. —The Manuals accompanying this series contain practical 
ins, ructions tor conducting drawing in the class-room, with definite directions for draw- 
ing fiith of the examples in the books, instructions for designing, model and object 
drawing, drawing from natural forms, &c. 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 
DRAWING —Com 

Chapman's American Drawing-Book. 

The standard American text-book and authority in all branches of art A compilation 
of art principles. A manual for the amateur, and basis of study fur the professional 
artist. Adapted for schools and private instruction. 

Contents. — " Any one who can Learn toWritecan Learn to Draw." — Primary In- 
struction in Drawing.— Rudiments of Drawing the Human' Head.- Rudiments in 
Drawing the Human Figure.— Rudiments of Drawing. — The Elements of Geometry. 
Perspective. — Of Studying and Sketching from Nature.— Of Painting.— Etching and 
Engraving. — Of Modelling. —Of Composition. — Ad vice to the American Art-Student. 

The work is ofcourse magnificently illustrated with all the original designs. 

Chapman's Elementary Drawing-Book. 

A progressive course of practical exercises, or a text-book for the training of the 
eye and hand. It contains the elements from the larger work, and a copy should be in 
the hands of every pupil ; while a copy of the " American Drawing-Book," named above. 
should be at hand for reference by the class. 

Clark's Elements of Drawing. 

A complete course in this graceful art, from the first rudiments of outline to the 
finished sketches of landscape and scenery. 

Allen's Map-Drawing and Scale. 

This method introduces a new era in map-drawing, for the following reasons : 1. It 
is a system. This is its greatest merit. — 2 It is easily understood and taught.— 
3. The eye is trained to exact measurement by the use of a scale —4. By no special 
effort of the memory, distance and comparative size are fixed in the mind. — 5. Itdis- 
cards useless construction of lines.— 6. It can be taught by any teacher, even though 
there may have been no previous practice in map-drawing. — 7. Any pnpil old enough 
to study geography can learn by this system, in a short time, to draw accurate maps. 
— s. The system is not the result of theory, but comes direotly from the sohool-room. 
II has been'thoroughly and successfully tested there, with all grades of pupils.— 9. It 
is economical, as it requires no mapping plates. It gives the pupil the ability of rapidly 
drawing accurate maps. 

FINE ARTS. 

Hamerton's Art Essays (Atlas Series) : — 

No. 1. The Practical Work of Painting. 
With portrait of Rubens. 8vo. Taper covers. 

No. 2. Modern Schools of Art.. 
Including American, English, and Continental Painting. 8vo. Paper covers. 

Huntington's Manual of the Fine Arts. 

A careful manual of instruction in the history of art, up to the present time. 

Boyd's Karnes' Elements of Criticism. 

The best edition of the best work sm art and literary criticism ever produced in 
English. * 

Benedict's Tour Through Europe. 

A valuable companion for anyone wishing to visit the galleries and sights of the 
continent of Europe, as well as a charming book of travels. 

Dwight's Mythology. 

A knowledge of mythology is necessary to an appreciation of ancient art. 

Walker's World's Fair. 

The industrial and artistic display at the Centennial Exhibition. 

40 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



BOOK-KEEPING TEXT. 

Powers's Practical Book-keeping. 
Powers's Blanks to Practical Book-keeping. 

A Treatise on Book-keeping, for Public Schools and Academies. By Millard R. 
Powers, M. A. This work is designed to impart instruction upon the science of accounts, 

as applied to mercantile business, and it is believed that more knowledge, and tli.it, too, 
of a more practical nature, can be gained by the plan introduced in this work, than by 
any other published. 

Folsom's Logical Book-keeping. 
Folsom's Blanks to Book-keeping. 

This treatise embraces the interesting and important discoveries of Professor Folsom (of 

the Albany " Bryant & Stratton College"), the partial enunciation of which in lectures 
and otherwise has attracted so much attention in circles interested in commercial 
education. 

Alter studying business phenomena for many years, he has arrived at the positive 
laws and principles that underlie the whole subject of accounts ; finds that the science 
is based in value as a generic term ; that value divides into two classes with varied 
species ; that all the exchanges of values are reducible to nine equations ; and that all 
the results of all these exchanges are limited to thirteen in number. 

As accounts have been universally taught hitherto, without setting out from a radical 
analysis or definition of values, the science has been kept in great obscurity, and been 
made as difficult to impart as to acquire. On the new theory, However, these obstacles 
are chiefly removed. In reading over the first part of it, in which the governing laws 
and principles are discussed, a person with ordinary intelligence will obtain a lair con-. 
ception of the double-entry process of accounts. But when he comes to study thoroughly 
these laws and principles as there enunciated, and works out the examples and memo- 
randa which elucidate the thirteen results of business, the student will neither fail in 
readily acquiring the science as it is, nor in becoming able intelligently to apply it in 
the interpretation of business. 

Smith and Martin's Book-keeping. 
Smith and Martin's Blanks. 

This work is by a practical teacher and a practical book-keeper. It is of a thoroughly 
popular class, and will be welcomed by every one who loves to see theory and practice 
combined in an easy, concise, and methodical form. 

The single-entry portion is well adapted to supply a want felt in nearly all other 
treatises, which seem to be prepared mainly for the use of wholesale merchants ; 
leaving retailers, mechanics, farmers, &c. ,-who transact the greater portion of the 
business of the country, without a guide. The work is also commended, on this 
account, for general use in young ladies' seminaries, where a thorough grounding 
in the simpler form of accounts will be invaluable to the future housekeepers of the 
nation. 

The treatise on double-entry book-keeping combines all the advantages of the 
most recent methods with the utmost simplicity of application, thus affording the 
pupil all the advantages of actual experience in the counting-house, and giving a 
clear comprehension of the entire subject through a judicious course of mercantile 
transactions. 

PRACTICAL BOOK-KEEPING. 

Stone's Post-Office Account Book. 

ByMicah E. Stone. For record of Box Rents and Postages. Three sizes always in 
stock. 04, 10S, and 204 pages. 

INTEREST TABLES. 

Brooks's Circular Interest Tables. 

To calculate simple and compound interest for any amount, from 1 cent to $1,000, at 
current rates from 1 day to 7 years. 

41 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

DR. STEELE'S ONE-TERM SERIES 
IN ALL THE SCIENCES. 

Steele's 14-Weeks Course in Chemistry. 
Steele's 14-Weeks Course in Astronomy. 
Steele's 14-Weeks Course in Physics. 
Steele's 14-Weeks Course in Geology. 
Steele's 14-Weeks Course in Physiology. 
Steele's 14-Weeks Course in Zoology. 
Steele's 14-Weeks Course in Botany. 

Our text-books in these studios are, ns a general thing, dull and uninteresting. 
They contain from 400 to(S00 pages of dry tacts and unconnected details. They abound 
in that which the student cannot learn, much less remember. The pupil commenced 
the study, is confused by the line print and coarse print, and neither knowing exactly 
what to learn nor what to hasten over, is crowded through the single term gem rally 
assigned to each branch, and frequently comes to the close without a definite and exact 
idea of a single scientific principle. 

■ Steele's " Fourteen- Weeks Courses " contain only that which every well-informed per- 
son should know, while all that which concerns only the professional-scientist is omitted. 
The language is clear, simple, and interesting, and the illustrations bring the subject 
within the range of home life and daily experience. They give such of the general 
principles and the prominent facts as a pupil can make familiar as household words 
within a single term. The type is large and open; there is no line print to annoy ; 
the cuts are copies of genuine experiments or natural phenomena, and are of fine 
execution. 

In fine by a system of condensation peculiarly his own, the author reduces each 
branch to tlie limits of a single term of study, while sacrificing nothing that is essential, 
and nothing that is usually retained from the study of the larger manuals in common 
use. Thus the student has rare opportunity to economize his lime, or rather to employ 
that which he has to the best advantage. 

A notable feature is the author's charming "style," fortified by an enthusiasm over 
his subject, in which the student will not fail to partake. Believing that Natural 
Hcicnce'is full of fascination, lie has moulded it into a form that attracts the attention 
and kindles the enthusiasm of the pupil. 

The recent editions contain the author's "Practical Questions" on a plan never 
before attempted in scientific text-books. These arc questions as to the nature and 
cause of common phenomena, and are not directly answei^ed m the text, the design 
being to test and promote an intelligent use of the student's knowledge of the foregoing 
principles. 

Steele's Key to all His Works. 

This work is mainly composed of answers to the Practical Questions, and solutions of the 
problems, in the author's celebrated "Fourteen -Weeks Courses" in the several sciences, 
with many hints to teachers, minor tables, &c. Should be on every teacher's desk. 

Prof. J. Dorman Steele is an indefatigable student, as well as author, and his books 
have reached a fabulous circulation. It is safe to say of his books that they have 
accomplished more tangible and better results in the class-room than any other ever 
offered to American schools, and have been translated into more languages for foreign 
schools. They axe even produced in raised type for the blind. 

42 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 
NATURAL SCIENCE — Continued. 

TEMPERANCE PHYSIOLOGY. 

Steele's Abridged Physiology, for Common Schools. 
Steele's Hygienic Physiology, for High Schools. 

With especial reference to alcoholic drinks and narcotics. Adapted from " Fourteen 
Weeks' Course in Human Physiology." By J. Dorman Steele, Ph.D. Edited and 

endorsed lor the use of schools (in accordance with the recent legislation upon tins 
subject) by the Department of Temperance Instruction of the W. C. T. U. of the United 
States, under the direction of Mrs. Mary H. Hunt, superintendent. 

Tins new work contains all the excellent and popular features that have given Dr. 
Steele's Physiology so wide a circulation. Among these, are the following: 

1. Colored Lithographs to illustrate the general facts in Physiology. 

2. Black-board Analysis at the beginning of each chapter. These have been 
found of great service in class-work, especially in review and examination. 

3. The Practical Questions at the close of each chapter. These are now too well 
known to require any explanation. 

4. The carefully prepared sections upon the Physiological Action of Alcohol, 
Tobacco, Opium, etc. These are scattered through the book as each organ is treated. 
This subject is examined from a purely scientific stand-point, and represents the latest 
teachings at home and abroad. While there is no attempt to incorporate a temperance 
lecture in a school-book, yet the terrible effects of these " Stimulants and Narcotics,'' 
especially upon the young, are set forth all the more impressively, since the lesson is 
taught merely by the presentation of facts that lean toward no one's prejudices, and 
admit of no answer or escape. 

5. Throughout the book, there are given, in text and foot-note, experiments that can 
be performed by teacher and pupil, and winch, it is hoped, will induce some easy dis- 
sections to be made in every class, and lead to that constant reference of all subjects to 
Nature herself, which is so invaluable in scientific study. 

(i. The collection of recent discoveries, interesting facts, etc., in numerous foot- 
notes. 

7. The unusual space given to the subject of Ventilation, which is now attracting 
so much attention throughout the country. 

8. The text is brought up to the level of the new Physiological views. The division 
into short, pithy paragraphs ; the bold paragraph headings ; the clear, large type ; the 
simple presentation of each subject ; the interesting style that begets in every child a 
love of the study, and the beautiful cuts, each having a full scientific description and 
nomenclature, so as to present the thing before the. pupil without cumbering the text 
with the dry details, — all these indicate the work of the practical teacher, and will be 
appreciated in every school-room. 

Mrs. Hunt's Child's Health Primer. 

For the youngest scholars. 12mo, cloth, illustrated. 

Mrs. Hunt's Hygiene, for Young People. 

Prepared under the supervision of Mrs. Mary H. Hunt, Superintendent of the 
Department of Scientific Instruction of the " Women's National Christian Temperance 
Union." Examined and approved by A. B. Palmer, M.D., University of Michigan. 

Jarvis's Elements of Physiology. 
Jarvis's Physiology and Laws of Health. 

The only hooks extant which approach this subject with a proper view of the. true 
object of teaching Physiology in schools, viz., that scholars may know how to take care 
of' their own health." In bold contrast with the abstract A natomies, which children 
learn as they would Greek or Latin (and forget as soon), to discipline the mitid.are these 
text-hooks, using the science as a secondary consideration, and only so far as is neces- 
sary for the comprehension of the laws of health. 

44 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



THE NEW GANOT. 

Introductory Course of Natural Philosophy. 

This book was originally edited from Ganot's " Popular Physics," by William G. 
Peek, LL.D., Professor of Mathematics and Astron y, Columbia College, and of 

Mechanics in the School of Mines. It has recently been revised by Levi S. I'ur- 
bank, A. M., late Principal of Warren Academy, YVoburn, Mass., and James 1. Hanson, 
A.M., Principal of the High School, Woburn, Mass. 

Of elementary works those of M. Ganot stand pre-eminent, not only as popnlar 
treatises, but as thoroughly scientific expositions of the principles <>f Physics. 11 is 
" Traitc do Physique " has not only met witli unprecedented success in Prance, but has 
been extensively used in the preparation of the best works on Physics that have been 
issued from the American press. 

In addition to the"Traite de Physique," which is intended for the use of colleges 
and higher institutions of learning, M. Ganot published this more elementary work, 
adapted to the use of schools and academies, in which he faithfully preserved the 
prominent features and all the scientific accuracy of the larger work. It is charcter- 
ized by a well-balanced distribution of subjects, a logical development of scientific 
principles, and a remarkable clearness of definition ami explanation In addition, it is 
profusely illustrated with beautifully executed engravings, admirably calculated to 
convey to the mind of the student a clew conception of the principles unfolded Their 
completeness and accuracy are such as to enable the teacher to dispense with much of 
the apparatus usually employed in teaching the elements of Physical Science. 

After several years of great popularity the American publishers have brought this 
important book thoroughly up to the times. The death of the accomplished educator, 
Professor Burbank, took place before he had completed his work, and it was then 
taken in hand by his friend, Professor Hanson, who was familiar with his plans, and 
lias ably and satisfactorily brought the work to completion. 

The essential characteristics and general plan of the book have, so far as possible, 
been retained, but at the same time many parts have been entirely rewritten, much 
new matter added, a large number of new cuts introduced, and the whole treatise 
thoroughly revised and brought into harmony with the present advanced stage of sci- 
entific discovery. 

Among the new features designed to aid in teaching the subject-matter are the 
summaries of topics, which, it is thought, will be found very convenient in short 
reviews. 

As many teachers prefer to prepare their own questions on the text, and many do no* 
have time to spend in the solution of problems, it has been deemed expedient \<> insert 
both the review questions and problems at the end of tire volume, to be used or not at 
the discretion of the instructor. 



From the Churchman. 

" No department of science has under- 
gone so many improvements and changes 
in the last quarter of a century as that of 
natural philosophy. So many and so im- 
portant have been the discoveries and 
inventions in every branch of it that 
everything seems changed but its funda- 
mental principles. Ganot has chapter 
upon chapter upon subjects that wire not 
so much as known by name to Olmsted ; 
and here we have Ganot, first edited by 
Professor Peek, and afterward revised by 
the late Mr. Burbank and Mr. Hanson. No 
elementary works upon philosophy have 
been superior to those of Ganot, either as 
popular treatises or as scientific exposi- 
tions of the principles of physics, and 
his ' Traite dc Physique ' has not only had 
a great success in France, but has been 
freely used in this country in the prepa- 
ration of American books upon the sub- 



jects of which it treats. That work was 
intended for higher institutions of learn- 
ing, and Mr. Ganot preparer* a more 
elementary work for schools «tnd acade- 
mies. It is as scientifically accurate as 
the larger work, and is characterized by 
a logical development of scientific princi- 
ples, by clearness of definition and expla- 
nation, by a proper distribution of sub- 
jects, ami by its admirable engravings. 
We here have Ganot's work enhanced in 
value by tin; labors of Professor Peck and of 
Messrs." Burbank and Hanson, and brought 
up to our own times. The essential char- 
acteristics of Ganot's work have been re- 
tained, but much of the book has been 
rewritten, and many new cuts have been 
introduced, made necessary by the prog- 
ress of scientific discovery. The short 
reviews, the questions on the text, and 
the problems given for solution are desir- 
able, additions to a work of this kind, and 
will give the book increased popularity." 



45 



■HE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



FAMILIAR SCIENCE. 

Norton & Porter's First Book of Science. 

Sets firtli the principles of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physiology, 
and Geology, on the catechetical plan for primary classes an I beginners. 

Chambers's Treasury of Knowledge. 

Progressive lessons upon — first, common things which lie most immediately around 
ns, and first attract the attention of the young mind ; second, common objects from the 

mineral, animal, and vegetable kingdoms, manufactured articles, and miscellaneous 
substances ; third, a systematic view of nature under the various sciences. May be 
used as a reader or text-book. 

Monteittfs Easy Lessons in Popular Science. 

This hook combines within its covers more attractive features for the study of science 
by children than any other book published. It is a reading book, spelling book, com- 
position book, drawing book, geography, history, book on botany, zoology, agricul- 
ture, manufactures, commerce, and natural philosophy. All these subjects are presented 
in a simple and effective style, such as would be adopted by a good teacher on ;ui 
excursion with a class. The class are supposed to be taking excursions, with the help 
of a large pictorial chart of geography, which can be suspended before them in the 
school-room. A key of the chart is inserted in every copy of the book. With this 
book the science of common or familiar things can be taught to beginners. 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 

Norton's First Book in Natural Philosophy. 
Peck's Elements of Mechanics. 

A suitable introduction to Bartlett's higher treatises on Mechanical Philosophy, and 
adequate in itself for a complete academical course. 

Bartlett's Analytical Mechanics. 
Bartlett's Acoustics and Optics. 

A complete system of Collegiate Philosophy, by Prof. W. II. C Bartlett, of West 
Point Military Academy. 

Steele's Physics. 
Peck's Ganot. 

GEOLOGY. 

Page's Elements of Geology. 

A volume of Chambers's Educational Course. Practical, simple, and eminently 
calculated to make the study interesting. 

Steele's Geology. 

CHEMISTRY. 

Porter's First Book of Chemistry. 
Porter's Principles of Chemistry. 

The above are widely known as the productions of one of the most eminent scientific 
men of America. The' extreme simplicity in the method of presenting the science, while 
exhaustively treated, has excited universal commendation. 

Gregory's Chemistry (Organic and Inorganic). 2 vols. 

The science exhaustively treated. For colleges and medical students. 

Steele's Chemistry. 

47 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



NATURAL SCIENCE — Continued. 



BOTANY. 



Wood's Object-Lessons in Botany. 
Wood's American Botanist and Florist. 
Wood's New Class-Book of Botany. 

The standard text-hooka of the United .States in this department. In style they are 
simple, popular, and lively ; in arrangement, easy and natural ; in description, graphic 
ami scientific. The Tallies for Analysis are reduced to a perfect system. They include 
the flora of the whole UuiUwl States cast of the Rocky Mountains, and are well adapted 
to the regions west. 

Wood's Descriptive Botany. 

A complete flora of all plants growing east of the Mississippi River. 

Wood's Illustrated Plant Record. 

A simple form of blanks tor recording observations in the field. 

Wood's Botanical Apparatus. 

A portable trunk, containing drying preiS, knife, trowel, microscope, and tweezers, 
and a copy of Wood's " Plant Record," — the collector's complete outlit. 

Willis's Flora of New Jersey. 

The most useful book of reference e«er published for collectors in all parts of the 

country. It contains also a Uotanica) Directory, with addresses of living American 
botanists. 

Young's Familiar Lessons in Botany. 

Combining simplicity of diction with some degree of technical and scientific knowl- 
edge, lor intermediate classes. Specially adapted lor the Southwest. 



Wood & Steele's Botany. 



See page 'Si. 



AGRICULTURE. 

Pendleton's Scientific Agriculture. 

A text-book for colleges and schools; treats of the following topics: Anatomy and 
Physiology of Plants ; Agricultural Meteorology ; Soils as related to Physics ; Chemistry 
of the Atmosphere ; of Plants; of Soils ; Fertilizers and Natural Manures; Animal Nu- 
trition, &c. By E. M. Pendleton, M. D., Professor of Agriculture in the University of 
Georgia. 



From President A. D. White, Cornell 
University. 
"Dear Sir: I have examined your 
' Text- book of Agricultural Science,' and it 
seems to me excellent in view of the pur- 
pose it is intended to serve. Many of 
your chapters interested me especially, 
and all parts of the work seem tocombine 
scientific instruction with practical infor- 
mation in proportions dictated by sound 
common sense." 



From President Robinson, of Brown 
University. 
"It is scientific in method as well as in 
matter, comprehensive in plan, natural 
and logical in order, compact and lucid in 
its statements, and must be Useful both as 
a text-book in agricultural colleges, and 
as a hand-book for intelligent planters and 
fanners." 



48 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 
NATURAL SCIENCE — Continued. 

ASTRONOMY. 

Peck's Popular Astronomy. 

By Win. G. Trek, Ph.D., LL.D., Professor of Mathematics, Mechanics, and Astron- 
omy in Columbia College. 12mo. Cloth. 330 pages. 

Professor Peck lias here produced a scientific, work in brief form for colleges, acade- 
mies, and liigli schools. Teachers who do not want, an elementary work — like Steele's 
Astronomy, fbrinstance -will find what they want in this book. Its discussion of the 
stars, Solar System, Earth, Moon, Sun and Planets, Eclipses, Tides, Calendars, Planets 
and Satellites." Cornels and Meteors. &c, is full and satisfactory. The illustrations are 
numerous and very carefully engraved, so the student can gain an accurate comprehen- 
sion of the things represented. Professor Peek is wonderfully (dear and concise in his 
style of writing, and there is nothing redundant or obscure in this work. It is intended 
for popular as well as class use, and accordingly avoids too great attention to mathe- 
matical processes, which are introduced in smaller tvpe than the regular text. For 
higher schools this astronomy is undoubtedly the best text-book yet published. 

Willard's School Astronomy. 

By means of (dear and attractive illustrations, addressing the eye; in many cases by 
analogies, careful definitions of all necessary technical terms, a careful avoidance of 
verbiage and unimportant matter, particular attention to analysis, and a general adop- 
tion of the simplest methods, Mrs. Willard has made the best and most attractive 
elementary Astronomy extant. 

Mclntyre's Astronomy and the Globes. 

A complete treatise for intermediate classes. Highly approved. 

Bartlett's Spherical Astronomy. 

The West, Point Course, for advanced classes, with applications to the current wants 
of Navigation, Geography, and Chronology. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 

Carll's Child's Book of Natural History. 

Illustrating the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, with application to the 
aits. For beginners. Beautifully and copiously illustrated. 

Anatomical Technology. Wilder & Gage. 

As applied to the domestic cat. For the use of students of medicine. 



ZOOLOGY. 

Chambers's Elements of Zoology. 

A complete and comprehensive system of .Zoology, adapted for academic instruction, 

presenting a systematic view of the animal kingdom as a. portion of external nature. 



ROADS AND RAILROADS. 

Gillespie's Roads and Railroads. 

Tenth Edition. Edited by Cad y Staley, A.M.. C B. 464 papes. 12mo. Cloth 

This book has long been and still is the standard manual of the principles and prac- 
tice of Road-making, comprising the location, construction, and improvement of roans 
[common, macadam, paved, plank, &c) and railroads. It was compiled by Win. 
Gillespie, LL.D., C. E. , of Union College. 

49 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



PHONOGRAPHY. 

Eames's Light-Line Short-Hand. 

By Roscoe L. Eames. 248 pages. 12mo. Cloth. 

This bonk presents a practical phonetic system, without shading. It is prepared to 

meet the requirements of business, corfesp ling, and verbatim reporting. It is 

especially adapted to the use of schools and colleges. It gives a vocabulary <>r more 
than 4,. : >'im> words and phrases. The illustrations arc very numerous, and both in 
variety and quantity are unprecedented. There are 58 pages of engraved short-hand 
matter for praCtice-copies. The book is highly endorsed, and the system is the bast 
and shortest known. 



COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC. 

Brookfield's First Book in Composition. 

Making the cultivation of this important art feasible for the smallest child. By a 
new method, to induce and stimulate thought. 

Boyd's Composition and Rhetoric. 

This work furnishes all the aid that is needful or can be desired in the various 
departments and styles of composition, both in prose ami verse. 

Day's Art of Rhetoric. 

Noted for exactness of definition, clear limitation, and philosophical development of 

subject; the large share of attention given to invention, as a brunch of rhetoric, ami 
the unequalled analysis of style. 

Bardeen's Sentence-Making. 
Bardeen's Complete Rhetoric. 

The plan of this treatise is wholly novel, and is its most characteristic feature. 

The author begins with Sentence-Making, which is to rhetoric what carpentry or 
masonry is to architecture, — not properly a part of it, but to be absolutely mastered, 
so that the architect's ideas may be carried out with promptness and precision. 

This " handicraft," so to speak, having been acquired, the student is ready to apply 
it according to the rides of tin; art. Where first? He is required to converse, almost 
constantly, and he has already learned that it is sometimes difficult to converse well. 
Let him see that the rules of rhetoric, apply primarily to the everyday talk in which 
he is engaged, and rhetoric becomes a real thing. Accordingly, the author follows with 
a, full and familiar treatment of Conversation. 

As all must talk, so nearly all must write letters of one kind or another; and the 
second part of the hook rs devote 1 to Letter-Writing. In itself this subject is 
treated with incisive directness and practical force, business letters receiving special 
attention. 

With the Essay arises a new necessity, — of formal invention. The author clearly 
shows that a distinct part of what i s often called " inspiration " in writing comes from 
hard labor under fixed rules hero laid down; that this labor is indispensable even to 
respectable writing, and that without this labor no production is worthy to be called 
an essay. 

The Oration introduces anew feature, — the oral delivery to an audience, with all 
the principles of articulation, emphasis, gesture, and other principles usually referred 
to elocution as a distinct subject. The discussion of extempore speaking is remarkably 
terse and helpful. 

Finally comes the Poem, more briefly treated, with the most important directions 
as to Rhyl hm and Rhyme. 

Here we have then six distinct parts, — Sentence-Making, Conversation, Letter- 
Writing, the Essay, the Oration, and the Poem. 

Wlien all this is taken into consideration, the book seems small instead of large, 
and we. must wonder how so much was got into so little Space. 

50 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 




LITERATURE. 

Gilman's First Steps in English Literature. 

The character and plan of this exquisite little text-book may be best understood irom 
an analysis of its contents: Introduction. Historical Period of Immature English, 
with Chart ; Definition of Terms ; Languages of Europe, with Chart; Period of Mature 
English, with Chart ; a Chart of Bible Translations, a Bibliography or Guide to General 
Reading, and other aids to the student. 

Cleveland's Compendiums. 3 vols. 12mo. 

English Literature. ^ American Literature. 

English Literature of the XIXth Century. 

In these volumes are gathered the cream of the literature of the English-speaking 
people for the school-room and the general reader. Their reputation is national. More 
than 125,000 copies have been sold. 

Boyd's English Classics. 6 vols. Cloth. 12mo. 

Milton's Paradise Lost. Thomson's Seasons. 

Young's Night Thoughts. Follok's Course of Time. 

Cowpers Task, Table Talk, &c. Lord Bacon's Essays. 
This series of annotated editions of great English writers in prose and poetry is 
designed for critical reading and parsing in schools. Prof. J. R. Boyd proves himself 
an editor of high capacity, and the works themselves need no encomium. As auxiliary 
to the study of belles-lettres, &c, these works have no equal. 

Pope's Essay on Man. 16mo. Paper. 
Pope's Homer's Iliad. 32mo. Roan. 

The metrical translation of the great poet of antiquity, and the matchless "Essay on 
the Nature and State of Man," by Alexander Pope, afford superior exercise in literature 
and parsing. 



POLITICAL ECONOMY. 

Champlin's Lessons on Political Economy. 

An improvement on previous treatises, being shorter, yei containing everything 

essential, with a view of recent questions in finance, &c ., which is not elsewhere 
found. 

51 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



^ESTHETICS. 

Huntington's Manual of the Fine Arts 

A view of the rise and progress of art in different countries, r> brief account of the 
mos1 eminent masters of art, and an analysis of the principles 01 art. 11 is complete 

in itself, or may precede to advantage the critical work of Lord Ivanics. 

Boyd's Karnes's Elements of Criticism. 

The best edition <>f this standard work ; without the study of which none may bo 
considered proficient in the seience of the perceptions. No other study can be pursued 
with so marked an eil'ect upon the taste and refinement of the pupil. 



ELOCUTION. 

Watson's Practical Elocution. 

A scientific presentment of accepted principles of elocutionary drill, with black- 
board diagrams ami lull collection of examples for class drill. Cloth. 90 pages, 12mo. 

Taverner Graham's Reasonable Elocution. 

Based upon the belief that true elocution is the right interpretation of thought, 

ami guiding the student to an intelligent appreciation, instead of a merely mechanical 
knowledge, of its rules. 

Zachos's Analytic Elocution. 

All departments of elocution— such as the analysis of the voice and the sentence, 
phonology, rhythm, expression, gesture, &c. — are here arranged for instruction in 

classes, illustrated by copious examples. 



SPEAKERS. 

Northend's Little Orator. 
Northend's Child's Speaker. 

Two little works of the same .made but different selections, containing simple and 
attractive pieces for children under twelve years of age. 

Northend's Young Declaimer. 
Northend's National Orator. 

Two volumes of prose, poetry, and dialogue, adapted to intermediate and grammar 

rlasses respectively. 

Northend's Entertaining Dialogues. 

Extracts eminently adapted to cultivate the dramatic faculties, as well as entertain. 

Oakey's Dialogues and Conversations. 

Por school exercises and exhibitions, combining useful instruction. 

James's Southern Selections, for Reading and Oratory. 

Embracing exclusively Southern literature. 

Swett's Common School Speaker. 
Raymond's Patriotic Speaker. 

A superb compilation of modern eloquence and poetry, with original dramatic 
exercises. Nearly every eminent modern orator is repjesented. 

52 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOhS. 



MIND. 

Mahan's Intellectual Philosophy. 

The subject exhaustively considered. The author has evinced learning, candor, and 
independent thinking. 

Mahan's Science of Logic. 

A profound analysis of the laws of thought. The system possesses the merit of being 
intelligible and self-consistent. In addition to the author's carefully elaborated views, 
it embraces results attained by the ablest minds of Great Britain, Germany, and France, 
in this department. 

Boyd's Elements of Logic. 

A systematic and philosophic condensation of the subject, fortified with additions 
from Watts, Abcrcrombie, Whately, &c. 

Watts on the Mind. 

The "Improvement of the Mind," by Isaac Watts, is designed as a guide for Hie 
attainment of useful knowledge. As a text-book it is unparalleled ; and the discipline 
it affords cannot be too highly esteemed by the educator. 



MORALS. 



Peabody's Moral Philosophy. 

A short course, by the Professor of Christian Morals, Harvard University, for the 
Freshman class and for high schools. 

Butler's Analogy. Hobart's Analysis. 

Edited by Prof. Charles £. West, of Brooklyn Heights Seminary. 228 pages. lGmo. 
Cloth. 

Alden's Text-Book of Ethics. 

For young pupils. To aid in systematizing the ethical teachings of the Bible, and 
point out the coincidences between the instructions of the sacred volume and the sound 
conclusions of reason. 

Smith's Elements of Moral Philosophy. 

140 pages. 12mo. Cloth. By Wm. Austin Smith, A.M., Ph.D., Professor of Moral 
Philosophy in the Columbia (Tenn ) Athenaium. 

This is an excellent book for the use of academics and schools. It is prepared to 
meet the wants of a much larger public than has heretofore been reached by works of 
this class. The subject is presented in clear and simple language, and will he found 
adapted to the comprehension of young pupils, at a time when they particularly need 
an insight into the laws which govern the moral world. 

Janet's Elements of Morals. 

By Paul Janet. Translated by Mrs. Prof. Corson, of Cornell University. 

The Elements of Morals is one of a series of works chiefly devoted to Ethics, and 
treats of practical, rather than theoretical morality. 

Mr. Janet is too well known that it be necessary to call attention to his excellence 
as a moral writer, and it will be sufficient to say that what particularly recommends 
thi! Elements of Morals to educators and students in general is the admirable adap- 
tation of the book to college and school purposes. 

Besides the systematic and scholarly arrangement of its parts, it contains series of 
examples and illustrations — anecdotic, historical — gathered with rare impartiality 
from both ancient and modern writers, and which impart a peculiar life ami interest to 
the, subject. 

Another feature of the work is its sound religious basis. Mr. Janet is above all 
a religious moralist, 

53 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



GOVERNMENT. 

Howe's Young Citizen's Catechism. 

K\| laming the duties of district, town, city, county, State, and United States 
officers, with rules for parliamentary and commercial business. 

Young's Lessons in Civil Government. 

A conip.-ehensive view of Government, and abstract ol the laws showing the lights, 
duties, and responsibilities of citizens. 

Mansfield's Political Manual. 

This is a complete view of the theory and practice of the General and Itate Govern- 
ments, designed as a text-book. The author is an esteemed and able professor of con- 
stitutional law, widely known for his sagacious utterances in the public press. 

Martin's Civil Government. 

Emanating from Massachusetts State Normal School. Historical and statistical. 
Each chapter summarized by a succinct statement of underlying principles on which 

good government is based. 

Gallaudet's International Law. 

Published in 1871», and the only work, bringing the subject within the compass of a 
convenient text-book. 

Antebellum Constitutions. 

A complete collection of state and Federal Constitutions as they stood before the 

Civil War of 1861. With au essay ou changes made during the reconstruction period, 
by Wilmot L. Warren. 



PUNCTUATION. 

Cocker's Handbook of Punctuation. 

With instructions for capitalization, letter-writing, and proof-reading. Most works 
on this subjectare so abstruse and technical that the unprofessional reader Qnds them 
difficult of comprehension ; but this little treatise is so simple and comprehensive that 
persons of very ordinary intelligence can readily understand and apply its principles. 



ANATOMY. 

Anatomical Technology as Applied to theDomestic Cat. 

An introduction to human, veterinary, and comparative anatomy. A practical work 
for studeuts and teachers. 600 pages. 130 Bgures, and four lithograph plates. By 

Burl G. Wilder and Simon II. Cage, Professors in Cornell University. 



" Instructions in the best method of 
dissection and Study of each organ and 
region." — American Veterinary /■ 

" A valuable manual, at once author- 
itative in statement and admirable in 
method." — .American Journal of Medical 
Science. 

" Well adapted to the purpose for whicn 
it has been written." — Natun 



"The student who will carefully dissect 
a few eats according to the rules given in 

this book will have a gn at advantage over 
the one who begins bis work with the 
human body : and if lie will master the in- 
structions for the various methods of 
preparation, he will know more than most 
graduates in medicine." — The Boston 
Medical ".ml Surgical Journal 

54 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

MODERN LAN GUAGES, 

A COMPLETE COURSE IN THE GERMAN. 

By Jaines II. Worman, A.M., Professor of Modem Languages in the Adelphi Acad- 
emy, Brooklyn, L, I. 

Worman's First German Book. 
Woman's Second German Book. 
Worman's Elementary German Grammar. 
Worman's Complete German Grammar. 

These volumes are designed for intermediate and advanced (.-lasses respectively. 

Though following the same general method with " Otto " (that of "Gaspey'') our 
author differs essentially in its application. He is more practical, more systematic 
more accurate, and besides introduces a number of invaluable features which have 
never before been combined in a German grammar. 

Among other things, it may be claimed for Professor Worman that he has been (he 
first to introduce, in an American text-book tor learning German, a system of analogy and 
comparison with other languages. Our best teachers are also en Jnisiastic about his 
methods of inculcating the art of speaking, of understanding the spoken lan<niage of 
correct pronunciation ; the sensible and convenient original classiiieation of nouns'(m 
four declensions), and of irregular verbs, also deserves much praise. We also note the 
use oi heavy type to indicate etymological changes in the paradigms and, in the exer- 
cises, the parts which specially illustrate preceding rules. 

Worman's Elementary German Reader. 
Worman's Collegiate German Reader. 

The finest and most judicious compilation of classical and standard German literature. 
These works embrace, progressively arranged, selections from the masterpieces of 
Goethe, Schiller, Korner, Seume, Uhland, Freiligrath, Heine, Schlegel, Holty, Lenau 
Wieland, Herder, Lessing, Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Winkelmann, Humboldt,' Ranke' 
Raumer, Menzel, Gervinus, &c., and contain complete Goethe's " Iphigenie," Schiller's 
"Jungfrau;" also, for instruction in modern conversational German,' Benedix's 
" Eigensinn." 

There are, besides, biographical sketches of each author contributing, notes, explan- 
atory and philological (after the text), grammatical references to all leading grammars, 
as well as the editor's own, mil an adequate Vocabulary. 

Worman's German Echo. 

Worman's German Copy-Books, 3 Numbers. 

On the same plan as the most approved systems for English penmanship, with 
progressive copies. 

CHaUTAUQUA SERIES. 
First and Second Books in German. 

By the natural or Pestalozzian System, for teaching the language without the help 
of the Learner's Vernacular. By James H. Worman, A. M. 

These books belong to the new Chautauqua German Language Series, and are in- 
tended for beginners learning to speak German. The peculiar features of its method 
are : — 

1. It teaches the language by direct appeal to illustrations of the objects 
referred to, and does not allow the student to guess what is said, lie speaks from the 
first hour understandingly and accurately. Therefore, 

2. Grammar is taught both analytically and synthetically throughout the 
course. The beginning is made with the. auxiliaries of tense and mood, because their 
kinship with the English makes them easily intelligible ; then follow the declensions of 
nouns, articles, and other parts of speech, always systematically arranged. It is easy 
to confuse the pupil by giving him one person or one ease at a time. This pernicious 
practice is discarded. Books that beget unsystematic habits of thought are worse than 
wortHess. 

55 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



MODERN LANGUAGES- - Continued. 

3. The rules are introduced after the examples; the purpose being to employ 
first the lower or sense faculty of the mind. 

4. Everything is taught by contrast and association, to avoid overtaxing the 
memory at the expense of die reason. 

5. The lessons convey much practical varied information, and engage the ob- 
serving as well as the thinking faculties of the learner s mind. 

In short, this brief series contains within its few pages all the essentials of German 4 ] 
Grammar so presented that their mastery is easy, and the student prepared upon it.* 
completion to enter upon the study of the more recondite, complicated, and irregular 
principles of the language. 

From Prof. Scheie de Vere, author of a 
iiini-h (Jrammar, Studies in English, &c, 
(fee., University of Virginia, Va. 

Trof. James IT. Worman. 

My dear Sir, — Your very liberal pub- 
lishers (Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co.) have 

done me the honor to send me a copy of 
your excellent works, The First French and 
the Second German Book. It needed 
no introduction in the shape of compli- 
mentary notices sans nombres to call my 
attention to the eminent merits of these 
valuable publications. But I was sin- 
cerely glad that the public at large, as 
well as me, confreres litteraires dans ce 
departement <le la Linguistique, have at 
length discerned the great advantages of 
your method, and enabled you and your 
publishers to bring out your works in a 
style so truly in sympathy with the in- 
trinsic, value of the different volumes. 

Must unfortunately — for how I should 
delight to wield such exquisitely shaped 
and sharpened instruments to make my 
way into thick crania and dense brains ! 
— our university way of teaching does 
not admit of the admirable method pre- 
scribed in your volumes. The laws of 
the Medes are as irreversible here as the 
Decrees of Mr. Jefferson, and when I fan- 
cied I had obtained the victory, I found 
myself faced by a stern decree. All I can 
do, therefore, is to recommend your works 
most earnestly and most urgently, in the 
point of economy, to my young graduates, 
hundreds of whom leave us every harvest 
time, to scatter their seed: 1 , broadcast over 
Hie vast fields of the South, and to profess 
boldly their adherence to the confessions 
Of their teachers. 

Wishing you heartily the best success, 
and hoping that I shall be able hereafter 
also modestly to assist you, I remain, very 
sincerely yours, yen elk De Vere. 

From Head Master, Boston {Mass.) Normal 
School. 
Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co.,— I want to 
thank you for the copies of those beautiful 



little books for beginners in German and 
French prepared by Professor Worman. 

The Professor is taking his pupils 
along the right road rapidly and delight- 
fully. 

Whatever may be said of the tedious- 
ness of learning the grammar of a new 
language, 1 think all will agree that the 
great labor is mastering the vocabulary. 
And it is just at this point that 1 think 
these books are of great use. The exercises 
are so developed out of pictured objects and 
actions, and are so well graduated that 
almost from the very outset they go alone. 
A beginner would have little use for 
a dictionary in reading the " First French 
Book;" and yet the words are so introduced 
and so often used, that the meaning is 
kept constantly before the mind, without 
the intervention of a translation. By this 
means the pupil soon makes them his 
permanent possession. 

A dozen volumes as well graduated as 
these would do much to give the student 
an extended vocabulary. I trust Professor 
Worman will continue his good work. 
Yours very truly, 

L. Dunton. 

From Mr. R. T. Taylor, of Beaver, Pa. 

Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co. 

Dear Sirs, —Your kindness in sending 
books appreciated. I have examined Pro- 
fessor Worman's "First French Book "and 
1 think it the best thing of the kind I have 
ever seen. There is just enough of the 
grammar combined to make the natural 
method practicable. I shall introduce 
the work into my school this fall. We have 
been using Proiessor Worman's German 
books and are very much pleased with 
them The "Echo," in particular, de- 
lights pupils. They make more advance- 
ment in one year by this method than in 
two by the old manner of teaching. 

Wishing you success in your business, 
I am 

Yours very truly, 

11. T. Taylos. 



5G 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



FRENCH. 

Worman's First French Book. 



On sni 
first hon 



te pli 



German and Spa 
ogly and accurate 



iish. Tliescholar reads and speaks from the 
ly. 83 pages. 



Worman's Second French Book. 

Continues the work of the First Hook, and is a valuable. Elementary French Reader 
96 pages. 

Worman's Le Questionnaire. 

Exercises on the Firsi French Book. 98 pages. Cloth. 

'Worman's Grammaire Francaise. 

Written in simple French, but based on English analogy. It therefore dwells upon llf 
Essential?, especially those which point out the variation* of the, French from the 
student's vernacular. 1S4 pp. 

Worman's Teacher's Hand-Book. 

Or Key to the Grammaire Francaise. 

Worman's French Echo. 

This is not a mass of meaningless and parrot-like phrases thrown together for 
a tourist's use, to bewilder him when in the presence of a Frenchman. 

The " Echo de Paris " is a strictly progressive conversational book, beginning with sim- 
ple phrases and leading by frequent repetition to a mastery of the idioms and of tlie 
every-day language used in business, on travel, at a hotel, in the chit-chat of 
society. 

It presupposes an elementary knowledge of the language, such as may be acquired 
from the First French Book by Professor Wornian, and furnishes a running French 
text, allowing the learner of course to find the meaning of the words (in the appended 
Vocabulary), and forcing him, by the absence of English in the text, to think in 
French. 



Cher Monsieur Wormax, — Vous me 
demandez inon opinion sur votre " Echo de 
Paris" et quel usage j'en fais. Je ne 
saurais mieux vous repondre qu'en repro- 
duisant une lettre que j'ecrivais derniere- 
ment a un collegue qui etait, me disait-il, 
" bien fatigue de ces insipides livres de 
dialogues. " 

" Vous ne connaissez done pas," lui 
disais-je, " 'l'Echo de Paris,' edite par le 
Professor Wornian? Cest un veritable 
tresor, merveilleusement adapte au devel- 
o])i)ement de la conversation familiere et 
pratique, telle qu'on la veut aujourd'hui. 
Get excellent livre met successivement en 
scene, d'une maniere vive et interessante, 



toutes les circonstances possibles de la vie 
ordinaire. Voyez l'iiuniense avantage 
il vous transportc en France ; du premier 
mot, je m'imagine, et mes eleves avec moi, 
que nous so m mes a Paris, dans la rue, sur 
une place, dans une gare, dans un salon, 
dans une chatnbre, voire meuie a la cui- 
sine ; je parle comme avec des Francais ; 
les eleves ne songent pas a traduire de 
l'anglais pour me repondre ; ils pensent 
en francais ; ils sont Francais pour le 
moment par les yeux, par l'oreille. par la 
pensee Quel autre livre pourrait produire 
cette illusion ? . . ." 

Votre tout aevoue, 

A. DE ROUGEMONT. 



Illustrated Language Primers. 



French and English. German and English. 

Spanish and English. 

The names of common objects properly illustrated and arranged in easy lessons. 

Pujol's Complete French Class-Book. 

otters in one volume, methodically arranged, a complete French course — usually 
embraced in series of from five to twelve books, including the bulky and expensive 
lexicon. Here are grammar, conversation, and choice literature, selected from the 
best French authors. Each branch is thoroughly handled ; and the student, having 
diligently completed the course as prescribed, may consider himself, without further 
application, an fait iu the most polite and elegant language of modern times. 

57 



THE NATIONAL SERIE3 OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



MODERN LANGUAGES — Continued. 

Pujol's French Grammar, Exercises, Reader. 3 vols. 

These volumes contain Part I., Parts II. and III., and Part IV. of the Complete Class- 
Book respectively, for the convenience of scholars ami teachers. The Lexicon is bound 

with each part. 

Maurice-Poitevin's Grammaire Francaise. 

American schools are at last supplied with an American edition of this famous text- 
book. Many of our best institutions have for years been procuring it from abroad 
rather than forego the advantages it offers. The policy of putting students who have. 
acquired some proficiency from the ordinary text-hooks, into a Grammar written in the 

vernacular, cannot lie p.,. highlj imnended. It affords an opportunity tor finish ami 

review at once, while embodying abundant practice of its own rules. 



SPANISH. 

Worman's First Spanish Book. 

On same plan as Worman's Brst German and French Cooks. Teaches fry direct ap- 
peal to illustrations, and by contrast, association, and natural inference. W pp. 

These little books work marvels in the school-room. The exercises are so developed 
out of pictured objects and actions, and are so well graduated, that almost lrom the 
very outset they go alone. A beginner would have little use for a dictionary in leading. 
The words are so introduced, and so often used, that tlie meaning is kept constantly 
before the mind, without the intervention of a translation. 

OTHER Spanish Books to follow. 



ANCIENT LANGUAGES. 



LATIN. 

Searing's Virgil's /Eneid, Georgics, and Bucolics. 

1. It contains the first six books of the .Em 'id and the entire. Bucolics and Georgies. 
2. A very carefully constructed Dictionary. 3. Sufficiently copious notes. 4. Gram- 
matical references to four leading Grammars. 5. Numerous illustrations of the highest 
order. G. A superb map of the Mediterranean and adjacent countries. 7. Dr. S. II. 
Taylor's "Questions on the JEneid." 8. A Metrical Index, and an essay on the 
Poetical Style. 9. A photographic facsimile of an early Latin "MS. 10. The text is 
according to Jahn, but paragraphed according to Ladewig. 11. Superior mechanical 
execution. 



'* My attention was called to Searing's 

Virgil by the fact of its containing a vo- 
cabulary which would obviate the neces- 
sity of procuring a lexicon. But use in 
the class-room has impressed me most 
favorably with the accuracy and .just pro- 
portion of its notes, ami the general ex- 
cellence of its grammatical suggestions. 
The general character of the hook, in its 



paper, its typography, and its engravings, 
is highly commendable, and the . en -»/mi7c 
manuscript is a valuable feature. I tale 
greal pleasure in commending the book to 
all who do not wish a complete edition ot 
Virgil. It suits our short school courses 
admirably." Henry L. Boltwood, Mas- 
ter Princeton High Scliool, HI. 



Johnson's Persius. 

The Satil 

Conington. 

University. 



Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccns, edited, with English notes, principally from 
Conington. By Henry Clark Johnson, A. M. , LL.B., Professor of Latin in the Lehigh 

58 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 




GREEK. 

Scarborough's First Lessons in Greek. 

A new two-term text-book, with copious notes and references to the Grammars of 
Goodwin and Hadley, and an adequate Vocabulary. Designed as an Elementary Drill- 
book on the inflections and syntax of the Greek language. 

I. These Lessons embrace all the essential points of the Greek etymology and syn- 
tax, and are sufficient to introduce the learner to Goodwin's Greek Reader Xenophon's 
Anabasis, or similar Greek. 

II. The notes and references are full enough in every particular to give the 
student a thorough knowledge of the rudimentary forms, inflections, and principles of 
the, Greek language. 

III. The verb is introduced early, so that the inflections of nouns and verbs 
are given side by side, and the pupil is at once made acquainted with complete 
sentences. 

IV. As the student advances, the principles of Greek syntax are gradually developed 
so that lie is led step by step from the simple to the more complex. 

•Y, The book is divided into two parts. The first consists of seven tv-ei edit lessons, 
with Greek and English lessons alternating. The second, of selections from the 
Anabasis (parts of the 1st and 6th chapters, Bk. I.) and the Memorabilia (the Choice of 
Hercules, Bk. II., chapter 1). 

VI. The book is sufficient for all purposes in rudimentary instruction. 

From The Religious Herald, Hartford, Ct. 
" We are highly pleased with this ele- 
mentary work. The eighty-five lessons of 
part first may well betaken in fifteen to 
twenty weeks, and part second may be 
pursued to advantage, or the scholar'may 
go directly from the first part to the Ana- 
basis. Tlie arrangement of lessons is 
good, which the teacher will employ at 
his discretion so as to secure the most 
efficient work of his classes." 

"I have examined Professor Scarbo- 
rough's ' First Lessons in Greek ' with 
some care, and am much interested in 



the book. It is clear and accurate, de- 
velopes the subject naturally and easily 
and i3 handsomely printed. The methods 
of a practical teacher are everywhere 
seen." Wm. G. Frost, 

Professor of Greek, Oberlin College, Ohio. 

"I have examined Professor Scarbo- 
rough's 'First Lessons in Greek' with 
much eare. I am exceedingly well pleased 
with the work ami think it' in every way 
well adapted to the uses for which it is 
intended." 

Wm If. Trim all. 
Principal of Poland (0), Seminary. 



60 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

SCHOOL MUSIC. 

Ryan's Vocalist. 

A new singing book for Graded Schools, Seminaries and social assemblies. 232 pages, 
long 8vo, cloth. 

The National School Singer. 

Bright, new music for the day school, embracing Song Lessons, Exercise Songs, Songs 
of Study. Order, Promptness, and Obedience, of Industry and Nature, Patriotic and 
Temperance Songs, Opening and Closing Songs; in fact, everything needed in the 
school-room. By an eminent musician and composer. 

Jepson's Music Readers. 3 vols. 

These are not books from which children simply learn songs, parrot-like, bnt teach 
the subject progressively, the scholar learning to read music by methods similar to 
those employed in leaching him to read printed language. Any teacher, however igno- 
rant of music, provided he can, upon trial, simply sound the scale, may teach it without 
assistance, and will end by being a good singer himself. The " Elementary Music 
Reader," or first volume, fully develops the system. The two companion volumes cany 
the same method into the higher grades, but their use is not essential. 

The First Reader is also published in three pails, at thirty cents each, for those who 
prefer them in that form. 

Nash and Bristow's Cantara. 

The first volume is a complete musical text-book for schools of every grade. No. 2 is 
a choice selection of solos and part songs. The authors are Directors of Music 
in the public sehools of New York City, in which these books are the standard of 
instruction. , 

The Polytechnic. 

Collection of Part Songs for High and Normal Schools and Clubs. This work con- 
tains a quantity of exceedingly valuable material, heretofore accessible only in sheet 
form or scattered in numerous and costly works. The collection of " College Songs " 

is a very attractive feature. 

Curtis's Little Singer: — School Vocalist. — Kings- 
ley's School-Room Choir. — Young Ladies' 
Harp. — Hager's Echo (A Cantata). 



SCHOOL DEVOTIONAL EXERCISE. 

Brooks's School Manual of Devotion. 

This volume contains daily devotional exercises, consisting of a hymn, selections of 
Scripture for alternate readiug by teacher and pupils, and a prayer. Its value for open- 
ing and closing school is apparent. 

Brooks's School Harmonist. 

Contains appropriate tunes for each hymn in the " Manual of Devotion " described 

above. 

Bartley's Songs for the School. 

A selection of appropriate hymns of an unsectarian character, carefully classified 
and set to popular ami " singable" tunes, for opening and closing exercises. The Secu- 
lar Department is full of bright and well-selected music. 

CI 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 
TEACHERS' AIDS AND SCHOOL REQUISITES, 

CHARTS AND MAPS. 

Baade's Reading Case. 

This remarkable piece of scl 1-room furniture is a receptacle containing a number 

of primary cards. J'.y an arrangement of slides on the front, one sentence at a time is 
shown to the elass. Twenty-eight thousand transpositions may be made, affording a 
Variety of progressive exercises which no other piece of apparatus oilers. One of its 
besl features is, that it is so exceedingly simple as not to get out of order, while it may 
be operated with one linger. 

Clark's Grammatical Chart. 

Exhibits the whole science of language in one comprehensive diagram. 

Davies's Mathematical Chart. 

Elementary mathematics (dearly taught to a full elass at a glance. 

De Rupert's Philological and Historical Chart. 

This very comprehensive chart shows the birth, development, and progress of the 
literatures of the world ; their importance, their influence on each other, and the cen- 
tury in which such influence was experienced ; with a list for each country of standard 
authors and their best works. Illustrating also the division of languages into classes, 
families, and groups. Giving date of settlement, discovery, or conquest of all countries, 
with their government, religion, area, population, and the percentage of enrolment for 
1S72, in the primary schools of Europe and America. 

Eastman's Chirographic Chart. Family Record. 
Giffins's Number Chart. 

Teaches addition, suhtraction, multiplication, and division. Size, 23x31 inches. 

Marcy's Eureka Tablet. 

A new system for the alphabet, by which it may be taught without fail in nine lessons. 

McKenzie's Elocutionary Chart. 
Monteith's Pictorial Chart of Geography. 

A crayon picture illustrating all the divisions of the earth's surface commonly 
taught in geography. 
Wm. L. Dickinson, Superintendent of in all good geographies. I think the 
Schools, Jersey City, says. chart would be a great help in any pri- 

"It is an admirable amplification of the mary department." 
system of pictorial illustration adopted 

Monteith's Reference Maps. School and Grand Series. 

Names all laid down in small type so that to the pupil at a short distance they are 
outline maps, while they serve as their own key to the teacher. 

Page's Normal Chart. 

The whole science of elementary sounds tabulated. 

Scofield*s School Tablets. 

On five cards, exhibiting ten surfaces. These tablets teach orthography, reading, 
object-lessons, color, form, &c. 

Watson's Phonetic Tablets. 

Foin' cards and eight surfaces; teaching pronunciation and elocution phonetically 
For class exercises. 

Whitcomb's Historical Chart. 

A student's topical historical chart, from the creation to the present time, including 
results of the latest chronological research. Arranged with spaces for summary, that 
pupils may prepare and review their own chart in connection with any text-book. 

Willard's Chronographers. 

Historical. Four numbers : Ancient chronographer, English chronographer, Ameri- 
can chronographer, temple of time (general). Dates and events represented to the eye. 

02 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



CHARTS, &c. — Continued. 

Popular Folding Reading Charts. 

In two parts. Price $5.00 each. Tlicsc fifty-three charts are the outgrowth of prac- 
tical reading lessons, all of which have been tried with classes of little children, first 
as black-board lessons, and afterward as printed manuscripts. By this method all the 
lessons were adapted to the capacity of the children. The words have been carefully 
selected and graded from the child's own spoken vocabulary. 

PART I. 
The new words of the first part arc taught 
by the word ami sentence method, the object- 
words being illustrated by engravings. 

All the lessons sparkle with real childlike 
expressions. The language is the language 
of childhood, and thus to the pupil becomes 
doubly interesting while at the same time 
progressive. 

The Clock Face, with Movable Hands, is 
an important and attractive feature. The au- 
thors know from experience that very happy 
results can be had by its use. Teaching chil- 
dren to tell the time has always been expected 
of tin- teacher, though seldom, if ever, has an 
opportunity been afforded him to do so. 

All the letters of the alphabet are taught by 
a series of writing lessons in the older of 
their development, and are finally grouped to- 
gether in a script alphabet. 




UNIQUE 

READING 

CHART 

^! il i| | !| i! |!|;ll!M!!ja,| l t:M!l-,^! 

(folded) 



PART II. 

takes up the development of the elementary 
sounds of the language, from the words already 
learned in Part I., in such a way as to enable 
the chilil to see for himself how words are made, 
and giving the key by which he can make out 
for himself new words. 

A scries of language lessons is the feature 
of this part, by which children are gradually 
taught the use of words by composing brief 
sentences and original stories. 

The Color Chart is the most unique feature 
ever ..tiered t<> the public, enabling the teacher 
to teach the primary and secondary colors from 
nature. 

Many review lessons are given in order that 
the children may learn 1<> read by reading. 

No easel or framework of any kind is re- 
quired with the chart. The publishers have 
secured tin- exclusive right to use Shepard's 
Patent Chart Binding, the use of which 
gives it a decided advantage over any other 
reading chart yet made. It is in this respect 
unapproachable. 



G3 




girl. 

Here is alittlc girl, 

/CI/ /{/& /C{/ 




THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 

APPARATUS. 

Bock's Physiological Apparatus. 

A collection of twenty-seven anatomical models. 

Harrington's Fractional Blocks. 
Harrington's Geometrical Blocks. 

These patent blocks are hinged, so that each form can be dissected. 

Kendall's Lunar Telluric Globe. 

Moon, globe, and tellurian combined. 

Steele's Chemical Apparatus. 
Steele's Geological Cabinet. 
Steele's Philosophical Apparatus. 
Wood's Botanical Apparatus. 



RECORDS. 

Cole's Self-Reporting Class Book. 

For saving the teacher's labor in averaging. At each opening are a full set of tables 
showing any scholar's standing at a glance, and entirely obviating the necessity of 
computation. 

Tracy's School Record. {JS&fggn.} 

For keeping a simple but exact record of attendance, deportment, and scholarship. 
The larger edition contains also a calendar, an extensive list of topics for compositions 
and colloquies, themes for short lectures, suggestions to young teachers, &c. 

Benet's Individual Records. 
Brooks's Teacher's Register. 

Presents at one view a record of attendance, recitations, and deportment for the 
whole term. 

Carter's Record and Roll-Book. 

This is the most complete and convenient record offered to the public. Besides the 
usual spaces for general scholarship, deportment, attendance, &c, for each name and 
day, there is a space in red lines enclosing six minor spaces in blue for recording 
recitations. 

National School Diary. 

A little book of blank forms for weekly report of the standing of each scholar, from 
teacher to parent. A great convenience. 



REWARDS. 

National School Currency. 

A little box containing certificates in the form of money. The most entertaining and 
Stimulating system of school rewards. The scholar is paid for his merits and fined for 
his short-comings, of course the most faithful are the most successful in business. 
In this way the use and value of money and the method of keeping accounts arc also 
taught. One. box of currency will supply a school of fifty pupils. 

64 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD SCHOOL-BOOKS. 



PENMANSHIP, PENS, &c. 

Progressive Penmanship. 



Beers's System of 
Per dozen . . . 



This " round hand" system of Penmanship, in twelve numbers, commends itself by 
its simplicity and thoroughness. The first four numbers are primary books. Nos 5 to 
7, advanced books for boys. Nos. 8 to 10, advanced books for girls. Nos. 11 and 12, 
ornamental penmanship. These books arc printed from steel plates (engraved by 
McLees), and are unexcelled in mechanical execution. Large quantities are annually 
sold. 

Beers's Slated Copy Slips. Per set 

All beginners should practise, for a few weeks, slate exercises, familiarizing them 
with the form of the letters, the motions of the hand and arm, &e., &c. These copy 
slips, 3-2 in number, supply all the copies found in a complete series of writing-books, 
at a trifling eost. 



Payson, Dunton, 
Per dozen . . 



& Scribner's Copy-Books. 



The National System of Penmanship, in three distinct series: (1) Common 
School Series, comprising the first six numbers ; (2) Business Series, Nos. 8, 11, and 
12 ; (3) Ladies' Series, Nos. 7, 0, and 10. 

Fulton & Eastman's Chirographic Charts . . 

To embellish the school-room walls, and furnish class exercise in the elements of 
Penmanship. 

Payson's Copy-Book Cover. Per hundred . . 

Protects every page except the one in use, and furnishes " lines" with proper slope 
for the penman, under. Patented. 

National Steel Pens. Card with all kinds 



JNationai steel fens, uara witn an Kinas . . . 

Pronounced by competent judges the perfection of American-made pens, and 
rior to any foreign article. 



SCHOOL SERIES. 

School Pen, per gross SO. GO 

Academic Pen do 63 

Fine Pointed Pen, per gross ... .70 

POPULAR SERIES. 

Capitol Pen, per gross §1 00 

do. do. per box of2doz. . . .25 

Bullion Pen (imit. gold) per gross .75 

Ladies' Pen do. . . .03 



Index Pen, per gross . . . . 

BUSINESS SERIES. 

Albata Ten, per gross .... 
Bank Pen, do. .... 

Empire Pen do. .... 

Commercial Pen, per gross . . 
Express Pen, do. . . 

Falcon Pen, do. . . 

Elastic Pen, do. . . 



supe- 



$0.75 



$0.-10 
.70 



.00 
.75 
.70 
.75 

Stimpson's Scientific Steel Pen. Per gross . . $1.50 

One forward and two backward arches, ensuring great strength, well-balanced elas- 
ticity, evenness of point, and smoothness of execution. One gross in twelve contains a 
Scientilic Gold Pen. 

Stimpson's Ink-Retaining Holder. Per dozen . $1.50 

A simple apparatus, which does not get out of order, Withholds at a single dip as 
much ink as the pen would otherwise realize from a dozen trips to the inkstand, which 
it supplies with moderate and easy flow. 



Stimpson's Gold Pen, $3.00 ; with Ink Retainer . 
Stimpson's Penman's Card 

One dozen Steel Pens (assorted points) and Patent Ink-retaining Pen-holder. 



$4.50 
.25 



G5 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 

LIBRARY AND MISCELLANEOUS 
PUBLICATIONS. 



TEACHERS' WORKING LIBRARY. 
Object Lessons. Welch. 

This is a complete exposition of the popular modern system of "object-teaching," 
for teachers of primary classes. 

Theory and Practice of Teaching. Page. 

This volume has, without doubt, been read by two hundred thousand teachers, and 
its popularity remains undiminished, large editions Being exhausted yearly. It was 

the pioneer, as it is now the patriarch, of professional works for teachers. 

The Graded School. Wells. 

The proper way to organize graded schools is here illustrated. The author has availed 
himself of the best elements of the several systems prevalent in Boston, New York, 
Philadelphia, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and other cities. 

The Normal. Holbrook. 

Carries a working school on its visit to teachers, showing the most approved methods 
of teaching all the common branches, including the technicalities, explanations, demon- 
strations, and definitions introductory and peculiar to each branch. 

School Management. Holbrook. 

Treating of the teacher's qualifications ; how to overcome difficulties in self and 
others ; organization ; discipline ; methods of inciting diligence and order ; strategy 
in management ; object-teaching. 

The Teachers' Institute. Fowle. 

This is a volume of suggestions inspired by the author's experience at institutes, in 
the instruction of young teachers. A thousand points of interest to this class are most 
satisfactorily dealt with. 

Schools and Schoolmasters. Dickens. 

Appropriate selections from the writings of the great novelist. 

The Metric System. Davies. 

Considered with reference to its general introduction, and embracing the views of 
John Quincy Adams and Sir John Ilerschel. 

The Student ; The Educator. Phelps. 2 vols. 
The Discipline of Life. Phelps. 

The authoress of these works is one of the most distinguished writers on education, 
and they cannot fail to prove a valuable addition to the School and Teachers' Libraries, 
being iii a high degree both interesting and instructive. 

Law of Public Schools. Burke. 

By Pinley Burke, Counsellor-at-Law. A new volume in " Barnes's Teachers' Library 
Series." 12mo, cloth. 

Law of Fublic Schools.' by Pinley Burke, 
Esq., of Council Bluffs. In my opinion, 
the work will be of great value to school 
teachers and school officers, and to law- 
yers. The subjects treated of are thought- 
fully considered and thoroughly examined, 
and correctly ami systematically arranged. 
The style is perspicuous. The legal doc- 
trines of the work, so far as 1 have been 



"Mr. Burke has given us the latest 
expositions of the law on this highly im- 
portant subject. I shall cordially com- 
mend his treatise." — Theodore Dwight, 
LL.D. 

From the JJon. Joseph M. Beck, Judge of 
Supreme Court, Town. 

" I have examined with considerable 
Jare the manuscript of « A Treatise on the 



m 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 



MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS - Continued. 



able to consider them, are sound. I have 
examined quite a number of the authori- 
ties cited ; they sustain the rules an- 
nounced in the text. Mr. Burke is an able 
and industrious member of the bar of the 
Supreme Court of this State, and has a 
high standing in the profession of the 
law." 

" I fully concur in the opinion of Judge 
Beck, above expressed." — John F. Dil- 
lon. New York, May, 1880. 

Sioux City, Iowa, May, 18S0. 
I have examined the manuscript of 
Finley Burke, Esq., and find a full citation 
of all the cases and decisions pertaining to 
the school law, occurring in the courts of 
the United States. This volume contains 



valuable and important information con- 
cerning school law, which has never before 
Inch accessible to either teacher or school 
officer. A. Armstrong, 

SujjI. Schouls, Sioux City, Iowa. 

Des Moines, May 15, 1SS0. 
The examination of " A Treatise on the 
Law of Public Schools," prepared by Kin- 
ley Burke, Esq. , of Council Bluffs, has 
given me much pleasure. So far as J 
know, there is no work of similar charac- 
ter now in existence. I think such a work 
will be exceedingly useful to lawyers, 
school officers, and teachers, and I hope 
that it may find its way into their hands. 
G. W. von Coellv, 

Sitpt. Public Just, for Iowa. 



Teachers' Handbook. Phelps. 

By William F. Phelps, Principal of Minnesota State Normal School. Embracing the 
objects, history, organization, and management of teachers' institutes, followed by 
methods of teaching, in detail, for all the fundamental branches. Every young teacher, 
every practical teacher, every experienced teacher even, needs this book. 

This is the key-note of the present excel- 



lent volume. In view of the supreme 
importance of the teacher's calling, Mr. 
Phelps has presented an elaborate 
of instruction in the elements of learning, 
with a complete detail of methods and 
processes, illustrated with an abundance 
of practical examples and enforced I>y 
judicious councils." 



From the New York Tribune. 

"The discipline of the school should 

Prepare the child for the discipline of life, 
he country schoolmaster, accordingly, 
holds a position of vital interest to the 
destiny of the republic, and should neg- 
lect no means for the wise and efficient 
discharge of his significant functions. 

Topical Course of Study. Stone. 

This volume is a compilation from the courses of study of our most successful public 
schools, and the best thought of leading educators. The pupil is enabled to make full 
use of any and all text-hooks bearing on the given topics, and is incited to use all other 
information within his reach. 

American Education. Mansfield. 

A treatise on the principles and elements of education, as practised in this country, 
with ideas towards distinctive republican and Christian education. 

American Institutions. De Tocqueville. 

A valuable index to the genius of our Government. 

Universal Education. Mayhew. 

The subject is approached with the clear, keen perception of one who has observed 
its necessity, and realized its feasibility and expediency alike. The redeeming and 
elevating power of improved common schools constitutes the inspiration of the volume. 

Oral Training Lessons. Barnard. 

The object of this very useful work is to furnish material for instructors to impart 
orally to their classes, in branches not usually tanght in common schools, embracing a'" 
departments of natural science and much general knowledge. 

Lectures on Natural History. Chadbourne. 

Affording many themes for oral instruction in this interesting science, especially to 

schools where it is not pursued as a class exercise. 



G7 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS— Contimwi. 

Outlines of Mathematical Science. Davies. 

A manual suggesting the best methods <>r presenting mathematical instruction on the 
part <>t the teacher, with that comprehensive view of the whole which is necessary to 
thr intelligent treatment of apart, in scieuce. 

Nature and Utility of Mathematics. Davies. 

An elaborate and lucid exposition of the principles which lie at the foundation of 
pure mathematics, with a highly ingenious application of their results to the develop- 
ment of the essential idea of the different branches of the science. 

Mathematical Dictionary. Davies and Peck. 

This cyclopaedia of mathematical science defines, with completeness, precision, and 
accuracy, every technical term; thus constituting a popular treatise on each branch, 
and a general view of the whole subject. 

The Popular Educator. Barnes. 

In seven volumes, containing interesting and profitable educational miscellany. 

Liberal Education of Women. Orton. 

Treats of " the demand and the method ; " being a compilation of the best and most 
advanced thought on this subject, by the leading writers and educators in England and 
America. Edited by a professor in Vassar College. 

Education Abroad. Northrop. 

A thorough discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of sending American 
children to Europe to be educated ; also, papers on legal prevention of illiteracy, study, 
and health, labor as an educator, and other kindred subjects. 

The Teacher and the Parent. Northend. 

A treatise upon common-school education, designed to lead teachers to view their 
calling in its true light, and to stimulate them to fidelity. 

The Teachers' Assistant. Northend. 

A natural continuation of the author's previous work, more directly calculated for 
daily use in the administration of school discipline and instruction. 

School Government. Jewell. 

Full of advanced ideas on the subject which its title indicates. The criticisms upon 
current theories of punishment and schemes of administration have excited general 
attention and comment. 

Grammatical Diagrams. Jewell. 

The diagram system of teaching grammar explained, defended, and improved. The. 
curious in literature, the searcher for truth, those interested in new mventions as well 
as the disciples of Professor Clark, who would see their favorite theoi > faiil> ti cated, 
all want this book. There are many who would like to be made familiar with tins 
system before risking its use in a class. The opportunity is here afforded. 

The Complete Examiner. Stone. 

Consists of a series of questions on every English branch of school and academic 
instruction, with reference to a given page or article of leading text-books where the 
answer may be found in full. Prepared to aid teachers in securing certificates, pupils 
in preparing for promotion, and teachers in selecting review questions. 

How Not to Teach. Griffin. 

This book meets a want universally felt among young teachers who have their expe- 
rience in teaching to learn. If undertakes to point out the many natural mistakes into 
which teachers, unconsciously or otherwise, fall, and warns the reader *Sg™^ °SS 
that beset the path of every conscientious teacher. It tells the reader, also, the propel 
and acceptable way to teach, illustrating the author's ideas by some practice lessons 
in arithmetic {after Griibe). 

68 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY, 
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS — Cowti« \u d. 

School Amusements. Root. 

To assist teachers in making the school interesting, with hints upon the manage- 
ment of the school-room. Bulea for military and gymnastic exercises are included- 

Illustrated by diagrams. 

Institute Lectures. Bates. 

These lectures, originally delivered before institutes, are based upon various topics in 
the departments of mental and mural culture. The volume is calculated tu prepare 

tin- will, awaken the inquiry, and stimulate the thought of the zealous teacher. 

Method of Teachers' Institutes. Bates. 

Bets forth the best method of conducting institutes, with a detailed account of the 
object, organization, plan of instruction, ami true theory of education on which such 
instruction should be based. 

History and Progress of Education. 

The systems of education prevailing in all nations and ages, the gradual advance ti- 
the present time, and the bearing of the. past upon the present, in this regard, are 
worthy of the careful investigation of all concerned in education. 

Higher Education. Atlas Series. 

A collection of valuable essays. Contents. International Communication by Lan- 
guage, by Philip Gilbert Hamerton ; Reform in Higher Education; Upper Schools, by 
President James McCosh ; Study of Creek and Latin Classics, by Prof. Charles 
Elliott ; The University System in Italy, by Prof. Angelo de Gubernatis, of the 
University of Florence; Universal Education, by liay Palmer ; Industrial Art Educa- 
tion, by Eaton ti. Drone. 



LIBRARY OF LITERATURE. 

Milton's Paradise Lost. (Boyd's Illustrated Edition.) 
Young's Night Thoughts. do. 

Cowper's Task, Table Talk, &c. do. 
Thomson's Seasons. do. 

Pollok's Course of Time. do. 

These works, models of the best and purest literature, are beautifully illustrated, and 
notes explain all doubtful meanings. 

Lord Bacon's Essays. (Boyd's Edition.) 

Another grand English classic, affording the highesl example of purity in language 

and style. 

The Iliad of Homer. (Translated by Pope.) 

Those who are unable to read this greatest of ancient writers in the original should 
not lad to avail themselves of this standard metrical version. 

Pope's Essay on Man. 

This is a model of pure classical English, which should be read, also, by every teacher 
and scholar for the sound thought it contains. 

Improvement of the Mind. Isaac Watts. 

Xo mental philosophy was ever written which is so comprehensive and practically 

useful to the unlearned as well as learned reader as this well-known book of Watts. 

Milton's Political Works. Cleveland. 

This is the Aery best edition of the great poet. It includes a life of the author, 
notes, dissertations on each poem, a faultless text, and is the only edition of Milton 
with a complete verbal index. 

69 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY, 
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLKUTIONS — Continued. 

Compendium of English Literature. Cleveland. 
English Literature of XlXth Century. Cleveland. 
Compendium of American Literature. Cleveland. 

Nearly one hundred and fifty thousand volumes of Professor Cleveland's inimitable 
eompendiuins have been sold. Taken together they present a complete view of litera- 
ture. To the man who can afford but a few bonks these will supply the place of an 
extensive library- From commendations of the very highest authorities the following 
extracts will give some idea of the enthusiasm with which the works are regarded by 
scholars : — 

"With the Bible and your volumes one might leave libraries without very painful 
regret. " " The work cannot be found from which in the same limits so much interesting 
ami valuable information may be obtained." "Good taste, fine scholarship, familiar 
acquaintance with literature, unwearied industry, tact acquired by practice, an interest 
in the culture of the young, and regard for truth, purity, philanthropy, and religion 
are united in Mr. Cleveland." " A judgment clear and impartial, a taste at once deli- 
cate and severe." "The biographies are just and discriminating." "An admirable 
bird's-eye view." "Acquaints the reader with the characteristic method, tone, and 
quality of eaeh writer." " Succinct, carefully written, and wonderfully comprehensive 
in detail," &c, &c. 




Old New York Plate. 
[From Mrs. Martha J. Lamb's " History of the City of New York."] 

70 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY, 
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS — Continued. 
LIBRARY OF HISTORY. 
Ancient and Mediaeval Republics. Mann. 

A review of their institutions, and of the causes of their decline and fall. f>* 
Henry .Maim. 8vo. 584 pages, cloth. 

Outlines of General History. Gilman. 

The number of facts which the author has compressed into these outline sketches is 
really surprising^ the chapters on the Middle Ages and feudalism afford striking ex- 
amples of his power nf succinct but comprehensive statement. In his choice of 
representative periods and events in the histories of nations he shows very sound judg- 
ment, and liis characterization of conspicuous historical figures is accurate and 
impartial. 

Great Events of History. Collier. 

This celebrated work, edited for American reader; by Prof. O. R. Willis, gives, in a 
6eries of pictures, a pleasantly readable and easily remembered view of the Christian 
era Each chapter is headed by its central point of interest to afford association for the 

mind. Delineations of life and manners at different periods are interwoven. A geo- 
graphical appendix of great value is added. 

History of England. Lancaster. 

An arrangement of the essential facts of English history in the briefest manner 
consistent with clearness. With a tine map. 

A Critical History of the Civil War. Mahan. 

By Asa Mahan, LL.D., author of "Intellectual Philosophy," "Elements of Logic," 
&c. First president of OberUn College, Ohio. With an introductory letter by Lieut- 
Gen. M. W. Smith of the British army. 8vo. 4.00 pages. Cloth. 

The plan of this work is to present, not the causes and details of facts which led to 
the war, but the conduct and management of the war on the pari of those concerned. 
It is a matter of present and future importance to Americans to know not only how the 
war was conducted, but also how it might have been more successfully carried on. 
The author has made the science of war a subject of careful and protracted study, and 
his views arc pronounced and scientific. He takes strong ground, writes with vigor, 
and the interest of the reader is fully sustained from the beginning to the close of the 
book. His conclusions have already passed into history, and this work will be regarded 
as one of the most important contributions to the literature of the subject. 

Europe under Napoleon First. Alison. 

A history of Europe from 17S9 to 1815. By Archibald Alison. Abridged by Edward 
S. Gould. 1 vol. Svo, with appendix, questions, and maps. 550 pages. 



It seems to me an excellent abridg- 
ment • . . Written in clear and chaste 
style, presenting the narrative in exact 
form for the. general reader. . . . "— Judok 
Joseph Story. 



"(me of the best abridgments lever 
saw. The material facts are all retained, 
and Mr. Gould has displayed great indus- 
try and skill in preserving the substance 
of so great a history. " — Chancellor 
James Kent. 

History of Rome. Ricord. 

An entertaining narrative for the young. Illustrated. Embracing successively, The 
Kings, The Republic, The Empire. 

History of the Ancient Hebrews. Mills. 

The record of "God's people" from the call of Abraham to the destruction of Jeru- 
salem ; gathered from sources sacred and profane. 

The Mexican War. Mansfield. 

A history of its origin, and a detailed account of its victories ; with official despatches, 
the treaty of peace, and valuable tables. Illustrated. 

72 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY, 



MISCELLANE01 8 PUBLICATIONS— Continued. 

Early History of Michigan. Sheldon. 

A work of value and deep interesi to the people of the West. Compiled uncW the 
supervision of Hon. Lewis Cass. Portraits. 

History of Texas. Baker. 

A pithy and interesting resume. Copiously illustrated. The State constitution and 
extracts from the speeches and writings of eminent Texans are appended. 

Magazine of American History. 

8 volumes. Illustrated. A collection of valuable data relating to American 
History. 

Points of History. 

For schools and colleges. By John Lord, LL.D. , author of "Old Roman World," 
" Modern History," &c. 

Barnes's Popular History of the United States. 1 vol. 

This superbly illustrated work is by the author of "Barnes's Brief Histories " (for 
schools). The leading idea is to make American history popular for the masses, and 
especially with the young. The style is therefore lite-like and vivid, carrying the 
reader along by the sweep of the story as in a novel, so that when he begins an account 
of an important event he cannot very well lay down the book until he linishes. It is 
complete from the earliest times to date. 

" Barnes's Popular History of the United States " was undertaken at the close of the 
first hundred years of American Independence. The author pi-oposed to give to the 
whole people of the United States and the world a thoroughly impartial history of 
America, from the mound-builders to the present time. As such it was necessary to 
steer free from whatever in recent history would arouse sectional animosity or party 
bitterness. He determined to meet all questions of burning moment in the judicial 
rather than controversial spirit, aud while giving to every event its due importance, he 
would seek to avoid controversy by the gentle word "that turneth away wrath." The 
work is now finished down to President Arthur's administration. • In it the truth of 
American history is impartially given in true historic form, without fear or favor. It is 
a work that all sections of the country can read and enjoy. Although the author is a 
Northern man and soldier, his work is popular and widely used as a text-book Mast, 
West, North, and South. An Alabama teacher lately wrote as follows : " We are using 
your history and like it, though it does n't favor us rebels. " And so it is liked throughout 
the country, because it doesn't favor any side at the expense of truth and justice. 
Instead of being spread out in many volumes, more or less didactic, statistical, or dry, 
the book is complete in one royal Svo volume of 850 pages, with 14 full-page steel 
engravings and 320 text illustrations on wood, engraved by eminent artists. It is fully 
urj to the times and includes an account of President Garfield's brief administration 
and tragic death. 

Mrs. Martha J. Lamb's History of New York City. 
2 vols., cloth. 

This is a complete survey of the history of New York from early settlement to the 
present time. It opens with a brief outline of the condition of the Old World prior to 
the settlement of the New, and proceeds to give a careful analysis of the two great 
Dutch Commercial Corporations to which New York owes its origin. It sketches the 
rise and growth of the little colony on Manhattan Island: describes the Indian wars 
with which it was afflicted ; gives color and life to its Dutch rulers ; paints its subju- 
gation by the English, its after vicissitudes, the Revolution of 1GS9 ; in short, it leads 
the reader through one continuous chain of events down to the American Revolution. 
Then, gathering up the threads, the author gives an artistic and comprehensive account 
of the progress of the city, in extent, education, culture, literature, art, and political 
and commercial importance during the last century. Prominent persons arc introduced 
in all the different periods, with choice bits of family history, and glimpses of social 
life. The work contains maps of the city in the different decades, and several rare 

73 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY, 



MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS— Continued. 

portraits from original paintings, which have never before been engraved. The illus- 
trations, about 320 in number, are all of an interesting and highly artistic character. 

"Widely welcomed both for its abun- "There is warmth and color and life in 

dant stores of information and the attrac- every passage." — New York 

turns of the narrative."— New York "The work has been done faithfully 

Tribune. and picturesquely." — The Nation. 

Carrington's Battles of the Revolution. 

A careful description and analysis of every engagement of the War for Independence, 
with topographical charts prepared from personal surveys by the author, a veteran 
Officer Of the United States army, and Professor of .Military Science in Wabash College. 

Baker's Texas Scrap-Book. 

Comprising the history, biography, literature, and miscellany of Texas and its people. 
A valuable collection of material, anecdotical and statistical, which is not to be found 
in any other form. The work is handsomely illustrated. 



DICTIONARIES AND ENCYCLOPAEDIAS. 
Home Cyclopaedia of Literature and Fine Arts. 

Index to terms employed in belles-lettres, philosophy, theology, law, mythology, 
painting, music, sculpture, architecture, and all kindred arts, iiy Geo. Ripley and 
('has. A. Dana. 

The Rhyming Dictionary. Walker. 

A serviceable manual to composers, being a complete index of allowable rhymes. 

Dictionary of Synonymes ; or, The Topical Lexicon. 
Williams. 

Terms of the English language classified by subjects and arranged according to their 
affinities of meaning, with etymologies, definitions, and illustrations. A very enter- 
taining and instructive work. 

Hawaiian Dictionary. 

Mathematical Dictionary. Davies and Peck. 

A thorough compendium of the science, with illustrations and definitions. 

Kwong's Dictionary. 

A dictionary of English phrases. With illustrative sentences. With collections of 
English and Chinese proverbs, translations of Latin and French phrases, historical 
sketch of the Chinese Empire, a chronological list of the Chinese dynasties, brief 
biographical sketches of Confucius and of Jesus, and complete index. By Kwong Ki 
Chiu, late member of the Chinese Educational Mission in the United States, and for- 
merly principal teacher of English in the Government School at Shanghai, China. 900 
pages, 8vo, cloth. 



From the Hartford Cowrant. 
"The volume shows great industry and 
apprehensjon of our language, and is otic 
of the most curious and interesting of 
linguistic works." 



From the New York Nation. 
" It will amaze the sand-lot gentry to be 
informed that, this remarkable work will 
supplement our English dictionaries even 

for native Americans.'' 



BARNES'S LIBRARY OF BIOGRAPHY. 
The Life of President Garfield, 

Prom Birth to Presidency, by Major J. M. Bundy, editor New York "Evening Mail' 
Express." From Mentor to Elberon, by CoL A. P. BockwelL Oration and Eulogy, by 
lion. James C. Blaine. 
This life of our martyred President, by Major Bundy, Mr. Blaine, and Colonel Rockwell, 

74 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS Continued 

who was with the President before and after the assassination, is tl n rrect and 

authentic. Major Bundy visited General Garfield at Mentor, by invitation, and received 
all the facts relating to Uia life to the day of his nomination, from the General's lips. 
This history of his life was completed by Colonel A. !•'. Rockwell and Hon. Jaine* G. 
Blaine. 

The Autobiography of Rev. Chas. G. Finney, 

The revivalist preacher and first president of Oberlin College. With steel portrait. 
Edited by Pres. J. 11. Fairchi Id, of Oberlin. Dr. Finney was the greatest and most 
successful evangelist of modern times. His labors extended not only throughout a 
large territory in the United States, but in Great Britain and Ireland, and he produced 
a most powerful impression. This memoir describes the .scenes lie passed through in 
the must, vivid language, and covers the entire period of his life, from the time of his 
conversion to the close of his career. 

Memoirs of P. P. Bliss. 

With sleel portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Bliss and two children. By Major D. W. Whittle. 
With a complete collection of Mr. Bliss's times and hymns, many of which arc here 
published for the first time. Containing also contributions by Mr. Moody, Mr. San key, 
Dr. Goodwin, and others. 

The Life and Speeches of Henry Clay. 

New edition. Complete in one volume. Compiled and edited by Daniel Mallory. 
1,:j-Jj liases, svo, (doth, steel plates, portraits, and other illustrations. 

This is the best life of Henry Clay. It contains a full sketch of his life and all Irs 
speeches, — his most important speeches in full and his less important ones in part. It 
also contains an epitome of the Compromise Measures, the Obituary Addresses and 
Eulogies by Senators Underwood, Cass, Hunter, Hall, Clemens, Cooper, Jones, of Iowa, 
and Brooke ; and Representatives Breckenridge, Ewing, Caskie, Chandler, of Pennsyl- 
vania, Barley, Venable, Haven, Brooks, of New York, Faulkner, of Virginia, Parker, 
(Gentry, Bowie, and Walsh. Also the funeral sermon, by the Rev. C. M. Butler, Chap- 
lain of the Senate, and various important correspondence not elsewhere published. 

Henry Clay's Last Years. Colton. 
Garibaldi's Autobiography. 

From his birth to his retirement at Caprera ; including the most eventful period of 
bis life. Translated from manuscript by Theodore Dwight, author of '*A Tour in 
Italy," and " The Roman Republic." Embellished with portrait engraved on steel. 

The Life and Services of Lieut-Gen. Winfield Scott, 

Including his brilliant achievements in the. War of 1S12 and in the Mexican War, and 
the part played by him at the opening of the Civil War of 1S62. By Edward D. Mans- 
field, LL.U. 12mo, cloth, illustrated. 550 pages. 

Lives of the Signers. Dwight. 

The memory of the noble men who declared our country free, at the peril of their own 
"lives, fortunes, and sacred honor," should be embalmed in every American's heart. 

Life of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Cunningham. 

A candid, truthful, and appreciative memoir of the great painter, with a compilation 

of his discourses. The volume is a text-book for artists, as well as those who would 
acquire the rudiments of art. With a portrait. 

Biography of Ezra Cornell, 

Founder of Cornell University. A filial tribute. By his son, Hon. A. B. Cornell, 

late Governor of the State of New York. 

From the Nation. I and t,l( T e ™ s ™th\pg to be apologized 

..,,.„„ „ ,, , • , tor or glossed over." 

"Mr. A. B. Cornell, as the biographer ,, . „ ,. , .,.. 

of his father, has had opportunities such "■'-"" ""' - v '" * ork 1 mas. 

as are given to few sons who undertake " Ezra Cornell, the man, was a person 

similar "tasks. The material of a singu- more to be esteemed and remembered than 

l.irt v noble, useful life was before him, Ezra Cornell, the millionaire." 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 
MISCELLANEI >US PUBLICATIONS - Continued. 

Prison Life. 

Interesting Biograpliies of celebrated prisoners and martyrs, designed especially for 
the instruction and cultivation of youth. 

Men of Mark. 

Bryant, Longfellow, Poe, Charles Tennyson Turner, Macaulay, Freeman, Cnrtius, 
George Tioknor, Sumner, John Stuart Mill. By Edwin P. Whipple, Edward A. Free- 
man, and others. 275 pages, 8vo, paper covers. 

The Hero of Cowpens. 

This book presents a complete history of the lives of heroic Daniel Morgan and of 
Benedict Arnold. These Revolutionary characters are viewed in varied lights, and the 
author has produced a most captivating historical sketch, as interesting as a romance. 

Autobiography of Havilah Mowry, Jr. 

A City missionary. 



BARNES'S LIBRARY OF TRAVEL. 
Silliman's Gallop among American Scenery ; 

Or, Sketches of American Scenes and Military Adventure. By Augustus E. Silliman. 
838 pages, 8vo, illustrated. 

It is a most agreeable volume, and we commend it to the lovers of the " sparkling" 
style of literature. It carries the reader through and past many of the sjmts, North 
and South, made memorable by events of the Revolution and the War of 1812. 

Texas : the Coming Empire. McDaniel and Taylor. 

Narrative of a two-thousand-mile trip on horseback through the Lone Star State ; 
with lively descriptions of people, scenery, and resources. 

Life in the Sandwich Islands. Cheever. 

The "heart of the Pacific, as it was and is," shows most vividly the contrast between 
the depth of degradation and barbarism and the light and liberty of civilization, so 
rapidly realized in these islands under the humanizing influence of the Christian 
religion. Illustrated. 

The Republic of Liberia. Stockwell. 

This volume treats of the geography, climate, soil, and productions of this interesting 
country on the coast of Africa, with a history of its early settlement. Our colored 
citizens especially, from whom the founders of the new State went forth, should read 
Mr. Stockwell's account of it. It is so arranged as to be available for a school reader, 
and in colored schc >ls is peculiarly appropriate as an instrument of education for the 
young. Liberia is likely to bear an important part in the future of their race. 

Discoveries among the Ruins of Nineveh and 
Babylon. 

With 20 illustrations and a complete index. By Austen II. Layard, M. P. Abridged 

edition. 550 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

Monasteries of the East. 

Embracing descriptions from personal observation of Egypt in 1833; the Natron 
Lakes, the Convent <>f the Pulley, the Ruined Monastery at Thebes, the White Monas- 
tery, the island of Philoe, be., Jerusalem, the Monastery of St. Sabba, and the Monas- 
teries of Metesra, Saint Athos. By Robert Curzon, Jr. 4U0 pages, 12mo, elotb. 

A Run through Europe. 

By Hon. Erastus C. Benedict, late Chancellor of the University of New York. A SIX 
months' tourthrough the galleries and capitals of Europe, bya most intelligent observer, 
in the year 1867. 12mo, (loth. 

7<; 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 



M 1SCZLLANE0US PUBLICATIONS - Continued. 

Eighteen Months on a Greenland Whaler. 

By Joseph 1'. Faulkner,an "ex-assistant whale-catcher in an American schooner," and 
author of other recollections of the sea. S18 pages, iCmo, cloth. 

The Polar Regions ; 

Or The First Search After Sir John Franklin's Expedition. By Lieut, Sherard Osborn, 
commanding II. M. S. Pioneer (the first steam vessel that ever penetrated the Northern 
sea). 212 pages, L2mo, cloth. 

St. Petersburg. Jermann. 

Americans are less familiar with the history and social customs of the Russian peo- 
ple than those of any other modem civilized nation. Opportunities such as tins book 
affords are not. therefore, to be neglected. 

Thirteen Months in the Confederate Army. 

The author, a Northern man conscripted into the Confederate service, and rising from 
the ranks by soldierly conduct to positions of responsibility, had remarkable oppor- 
tunities for the acquisition of facts respecting the conduct of the Southern armies, and 
the policy and deeds of their leaders. He participated in many engagements, and his 
book is one of the most exciting narratives of adventure ever published. Mr. Steven- 
son takes no ground as a partisan, but views the whole subject as with the eye of a 
neutral, only interested in subserving the ends of history by the contribution of 
impartial facts. Illustrated. 

The Isthmus of Tehauntepec. Anderson. 

Svo, cloth. A history of the Isthmus from earliest times to the present, vri'-h an 
account of railroad enterprises and valuable maps and charts. 



BARNES'S RELIGIOUS LIBRARY. 
Ray Palmer's Poetical Works. 

An" exquisite edition of the complete hymns and other poeticai writings of the 
most eminent of American sacred poets, author of " My Faith Looks up to Thee." 

Formation of Religious Opinions. Palmer. 

Hints for the benefit of young people who have found themselves disturbed by inward 
questionings or doubts concerning the Christian faith. 

Nine Lectures on Preaching. Dale. 

By Rev. R. W. Dale, of England. Delivered at Yale College. Contents : Perils of Young 
Preachers ; The Intellect in" Relation to Preaching ; Reading ; Preparation of Sermons ; 
Extemporaneous Preaching ; Evangelistic Preaching ; Pastoral Preaching ; Conduct 
of Public Worship. 

Dale on the Atonement. 

The theory and fact of Christ's atonement profoundly considered. 

The Service of Song. Stacy. 

A treatise on singing, in public anil private devotion. Its history, office, and impor- 
tance considered. 

" Remember Me." Palmer. 

Preparation for the Holy Communion. 

Bible Lands Illustrated. 

A pictorial hand-book of the antiquities and modem life of all the sacred countries. 
P,y Henry C. Fish, D.D. With six hundred engravings and maps, one thousand eluci- 
dated Scripture texts, and two thousand indexed subjects. Svo, cloth, 900 pages. 

77 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 



MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS — Continued-. 

Lyman Abbott's Commentary on the Gospels. 

Handy edition, 3 vols., 8vo, 
cloth, illustrated. Household 
edition, ou large paper, in 2 
vols. 

This is altogether, and all 
points considered, the best 
commentary for Christian 
worker;. It is handy, prac- 
tical, finely illustrated and 
printed, clear, concise, plain, 
spiritual, and scholarly. It 
is cordially and earnestly 
indorsed by the most emi- 
nent divines and laymen of 
all denominations, and also 
by the whole religious press. 

" Ellicott and Alvord are 
too costly and too learned; 
Barnes, Jacobus, and Owen 
are too flat and thin ; Lange 
is a huge wilderness ; Abbott 
is simple, attractive, correct, 
and judicious in the use 
of learning." — Chancellor 
Howard Crosby, LLD. 

" We are strongly con- 
vinced that this is one of the 
ablest commentaries which 
this century of commenta- 
ries has produced." — Rev. 
J. II. Vincent, U.D. 

Eastern City Wall. [From Abbott's Commentary.] 

Lady Willoughby. 

The diary of a wile anl mother. An historical romance of the seventeenth century. 
At once beautiful and pathetic, entertaining and instructive. 

Favorite Hymns Restored. Gage. 

Mosi of the standard hymni 

but this volume contains thei 




have, undergone modification or abridgment by compiler! 
i exactly as written by the authors. 



Poets' Gift of Consolation. 

A beautiful selection of poems referring to the death of children. 

Sixty Years in the Harvest Field. Mowry. 



Dr. Theo. L. Cuyler says: 
"For more than twenty years I have 
known Mr. Mowry well. This volume is 
the plain, truthful narrative of a lung life- 



work in guiding souls to the Saviour. It 
will be helpful to all who labor at ihe 
best trade in the world, — the trade of 

making Christians." 



78 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCZLLANY. 



MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS — Continued. 

Froude's Theological Unrest. (Atlas Series.) 
The History of the English Bible, 

Extending fr the earliest. Saxon translations to the present Anglo-American Revision. 

With special reference to the Protestant religion and the English language. By Black- 
ford Condit. With steel portrait of Wyelitt'e. 400 pages. l2mo, cloth. 

This is a consecutive history of all the English versions of the Scriptures and their 
translators, including also the history of Protestantism in England and the growth and 
changes of the English language. 



BARNES'S YOUTH'S LIBRARY. 
Earnest Words on True Success in Life. 

Addressed to young men and women. By Ray Palmer. 2% pages, 12mo, clow! 

Ida Norman. 

Two vols, in one. A novel. With illustrations. By Mrs. Lincoln Phelps. 432 pages, 
12mo, cloth. 

The Educator ; or, Hours with my Pupils. 

A series of practical hints to young ladies on questions of behavior and education. 
By Mrs. Lincoln Phelps. 364 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

The Student ; or, the Fireside Friend. 

A series of lectures to young ladies, in which the author gives a course of practical 
instruction for home study, including physical, intellectual, social, domestic, and relig- 
ious training. Intended to awaken in the minds of the young an idea of the impor- 
tance and value of education, and to provide the means of self-instruction. With an 
index. 3S0 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

Monasteries of the East. 

Embracing visits to monasteries in the Levant. By the Hon. Robert Curzon, Jr. 
410 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

Life in the Sandwich Islands. 

By Rev. Henry T. Cheever. 356 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

Lives of the Signers. 

Carefully prepared sketches of the lives and careers of the signers of the document 
declaring the independence of the States of America. By N. Dwight. 374 pages, 12mo, 
cloth. 

Discoveries among the Ruins of Nineveh and 
Babylon. 

With travels in Armenia, Kurdistan, and the Desert. Being the result of the second 
expedition undertaken for the trustees of the British Museum. An abridgment By 
Austen H. Layard, M.P. 550 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

The History of the Jews. 

From the flood to their dispcrsement. From sources sacred and profane. A most 
excellent work in connection with the study of the Scriptures. Giving a connected 
account of the history and acts of this chosen people. By Abraham Mills, with colored 
charts, maps, and illustrations. 444 pages, 12mo. 

Johnny Morrow, the Newsboy. 

An autobiography written by the hero when sixteen years of a.u'e. 16mo, cloth. A 
plain storv of one who represents a class. The writer, although a newsboy and pedler 

of trinkets, is well remembered in New Haven, Cum. ., and possesses a power and 
maturity of expression quite remarkable. 

79 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS — Continued. 

Stories of Prison Life. 

Cloth, lOmo. Biographies of noted political prisoners, as l'icciola, the heroine of 
Siberia ; Silvio Pellico, and Baron Trenck. 

The Son of a Genius. 

A tale. By Mrs. Hofland. Cloth, l6mo. 

St. Chrysostom ; or, the Mouth of Gold. 

By Bev. Edwin Johnson. Cloth, lOmo. An original dramatic poem, in six cantos. 
With explanatory notes. 



VALUABLE SPECIAL BOOKS. 
Opium Habit and Drunkenness. 

The extent, terrible effects, and radical cure. Read Dr. Hubbard's " Opiomania and 
Dipsomania." 

"To many victims and their friends, this book will come like a prophet of God." 
— Christum Union. 

Grecian and Roman Mythology. Dwight. 

The presentation i" • systematic form of the fables of antiquity afTords most enter- 
taining reading, and . valuable to all as an index to the mythological allusions so 

frequent in literature, as well as to students of the classics who would peruse intelli- 
gently the classical authors. Illustrated. 

General View of the Fine Arts. Huntington. 

The preparation of this work was suggested by the interested inquiries of a group of 
young people concerning the productions and styles of the great masters of art, whose 
names only were familiar. This statement is sufficient index of its character. 

The Poets of Connecticut. Everest. 

With the biographical sketches, this volume forms a complete history of the poetical 
literature of the State. 



BARNES'S CHOICE STANDARD ENGLISH LIBRARY. 
Fifty-Nine Essays. 

By Lord Bacon. With notes, critical and biographical, by Hallam, Macaulay, and 
others. Edited by James R. Boyd. 420 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

Paradise Lost. 

By John Milton. With five full-page engravings, explanatory and critical notes, 
in. lex, &c, &c. Edited by James It. Boyd. 500 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

The Task, Table Talk, and other Poems. 

By William Cowper. With notes, critical and explanatory, complete index, and five 
full-page engravings. Edited by James II. Boyd. 4:;o pages, 12mo, cloth. 

Night Thoughts. 

By Edward Young. With sketch of life and works of the author, and explanatory 
notes. By James R. Boyd. With steel-plate illustrations. 510 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

The Course of Time. 

By Robert Pollok. With two steel-plate engravings : portrait at age of 28, and early 
home ; critical observations of various authors, with notes by i)r. Boyd. 

80 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 



MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS — Continued. 

The Seasons. 

By James Thomson. With four steel-plate illustrations, opinions of distinguished 
critics on the genius and character of the work, explanatory notes by the editor, and a 
complete index. Edited by .James R. Boyd. 836 pages, I2in0, cloth. 

The Poetical Works of John Milton. 

With a life of the author, preliminary dissertation on each poem, notes, critical and 
explanatory, an index to the subjects of 1'aradise Lost, and an extra index to all the 
poems. Complete in one volume. By Charles Dexter Cleveland. G'./O pages, 12mo, 
half roan. 

Elements of Criticism. 

By Henry Home, of Karnes, one of the Lords Commissioners of Judiciary in Scot- 
land. Edited, with explanatory notes, by James R. Boyd. 486 pages, 12mo, cloth. 

The Plays of Philip Massinger. 

With an introduction and notes, critical and explanatory. By William Gilford. Com- 
plete in one volume. 540 pages, large Svo, cloth. 

The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. 

By James Boswell. With copious notes and biographical illustrations. By Ed. 
Malone. Complete in one volume. 600 pages, Svo, cloth. 

An Essay on Man. 

By Alexander Pope. With notes. Edited by a teacher. 44 pages, 12mo. 

The Iliad of Homer. 

Translated in verse. By Alexander Pope. 568 pages, 32mo, roan. 

Improvement of the Mind. 

By Isaac Watts, D.D. With Denman's Questions. 304 pages, 12mo, half bound. 



BARNES'S LIBRARY OF POLITICS. 
The Young Citizen's Catechism. 

192 pages, 16mo, cloth. A most comprehensive little work for beginners ; explaining 
the duties of district, town, city, county, State, and United States officers, and Riving 
practical rules for Parliamentary practice, legal and commercial business. By Elisha 
P. Howe. 

First Lessons in Civil Government. 

280 pages, 12mo, cloth. Based upon the laws of New York State but adapted to the 
requirements of the student in any State. Revised in 1877. By Andrew W. Young. 

Civil Government in the United States. 

330 pages, 12mo, cloth. Containing a full statement of general principles on a compre- 
hensive plan, embracing State, county, city, town, and federal organizations. This work 
traces the development of free institutions from germs in the early English constitu- 
tion, through colonial and revolutionary history, down to date. It is arranged topi- 
cally to assist in fixing details in the student's mind. It omits unnecessary statistics 
and fulfils the highest requirements of a citizen's manual. By George H. Martin, 
Teacher of History and Civil Politics in the Mass. State Normal College. 

The Political Manual. 

350 pages, 12mo, cloth. A complete record of the theory ami practice of die general 
and state governments or the United States. By Edwin IV Mansfield, LL.D., Profes- 
sor of Constitutional Law. 

81 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS — Continued. 

Lessons on Political Economy. 

^20 paged) 12ino, clu h. Treating the science familiarly so as to bring it to tbc prac- 
tical knowledge of all classes of society. If the principles herein presented are thor- 
oughly mastered, the student will have a competent knowledge of the science for all 
ordinary purposes. By J. T. Champlin, LL.D., President of Colby University. 

A Manual of International Law. 

M22 pages, l:'iii(i, cloth. This work presents within moderate compass the principles of 
international law as recognized in the world at the present time. It is the first notable 
attempt to popularize tiiis important branch of political knowledge, ami gives an in- 
teresting view of the influence of the United States on the diplomacy of the world. By 
l.duard M. Gallaudet, Ph.D., LL.D. Professor of Moral and Political Science, and Presi- 
dent of the College of Deaf Mutes, Washington, D. C. 

De Tocqueville's Democracy in America. 

American Institutions and their Influence. (Abridged.) 

By Alexis de Tocqueville. 4(X) pages, 12mo, cloth. Being part second of the 
"Democracy in America," by the same writer. Arranged, with notes, introduction, 
and appendix, by Hon. John C. Spencer. 

The Republic of the United States of America, and 
its Political Institutions Reviewed and Ex- 
amined. (Complete.) 

By Alexis de Tocqueville, Member of the Institute of France ami of the Cnamber 
of Deputies. .S7b' pages, 8vo, cloth. Translated by Henry Beeves, Esq., with preface 
and notes by Hon. John C. Spencer. Two volumes in one. 

Principles and Acts of the Revolution in America. 

By I lezekiah Niles, editor of the " Weekly Register." CJ2 pages, 12mo,cloth A grand 

Storehouse of the patriotic and soul-stirring speeches and orations delivered during the 
Revolution, ai:d emhodying the opinions and immortalizing the conduct of the leaders 
and actors in the events of that period. The collection embraces nearly if not all the 
important impassioned addresses that contributed to lire the public sentiment and 
sustain the enthusiasm which ended in victory. While the chief object of the volume 
is to stir the fa-linqs of the period, it is also an historical volume. In a word, this vol- 
ume contains all the great speeches and orations, extracts from the proceedings of the 
greatest meetings and from important writings of all the States at the time of the 
Revolution. 

Constitutions of the American States and of the 
United States in 1861 ; 

or, Prior to the War of tuk Rebellion. With an essay on the character of the 
changes in these constitutions prior to the year 1879. By Wilmot L. Warren. 002 

pages, Svo, cloth. 

Political Essays. 

Paper ; cloth. Labor, Granger, Indian, Chinese, and constitutional questions. (Atlas 
scries, No. 8.) By Thomas Hughes, Thomas Brassey, Judge Cooley, E. A. Freeman, 
LL.D., Francis A. Walker, and others. 

The Commonwealth Reconstiucted. 

By Charles C. P. Clark, M.D. 216 pages, Svo, cloth. A sketch of the condition of 
political affairs, town, State, and federal, in 1878. With a new plan for the complete 
reconstruction of the body politic. 

82 



WE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS - Continued. 

THE ATLAS SERIES OF ESSAYS. 

PAPER BINDING. 

No. i. The Currency Question. 

The nature of the discussion prior to resumption ; with a view of the future and 
permanent financial wants of the t nited .states. By lion. Araasa Walker, LL.D. 
Uonteuts : Our National Currency ; The Money Problem. 

No. 2. Men of Mark. 

Biographical and Critical Essays. Contents: Lord Maea.ulay, by Edward A. Free- 
man, D.C.L. ; George Ticknor, by Edwin P. Whipple ; Ernst Curtius, by R. I'. Keep, 
Ph.D. ; Philip Gilbert Hamerton ; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, by Kay Palmer; To 
John Lothrop Motley, a poem, by William Cullen Bryant; Edgar Allan Poe, by Jobn 
II. Ingram; Charles Tennyson Turner, by A. J. Symington, M.A. ; Edward A. Free- 
man, by Henry Coppee, LL.D. ; Charles Sumner, by President Magouu, of Iowa ; John 
Stuart Mill, Nos. 1 and 2, by President Porter, of Yale College. 

No. 3. The Labor Question. 

Political Essays. Contents : Co-operative Stores in England, by Thomas Hughes, 
M.P. ; Wages in England, by Thomas Brassey, M.P. ; The Sea-Shell and the Sonneteer, 
a poem, by Charles Tennyson Turner ; Grangerism, by Dr. Francis Wharton ; The 
Grange and the Potter Law, by a Granger; The American Republic, by Gen. Franz 
Sigel; Indian Citizenship, by Gen. Francis A. Walker; The Chinese Question, by Dr. 
E. D. Mansfield ; The Guarantee of Order and Republican Government in the States, 
by Judge T. M. Cooley ; Some Checks and Balances in Government, by Judge T. M. 
L'ooley ; The Difficulties of Republicanism in Europe, by Edward A. Freeman, D.C.L. 

No. 4. The Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia, 187G. 

A critical account. By Gen. Francis A. Walker, Chief of the Bureau of Awards. 

No. 5. European International Exhibitions. Paris, 
1878, and Vienna, 1873. 

Contents : The Paris Exhibition, by Charles Gindriez, a Paris architect ; Vienna and 
the Centennial, by Prof. James Morgan Hart. 

No. 6. A Shocking Story. 

By Wilkie Collins. 

No. 7. Buried Treasures. 

Where the Precious Metals Go, by Hon. J. V. C. Smith, ex-mayor of Boston. 

No. 8. The Gold Room. 

By Kinahau Cornwallis. Contents : The New York Gold-Room ; The New York 
Stock Exchange ; The New York Clearing-House. 

No. 9. Higher Education. No. 1. 

Contents : International Communication by Language, by Philip Gilbert Hamerton ; 
Reform in Higher Education; Upper Schools, by Pres. James McCook ; Study of 
Greek and Latin Classics, by Prof. Charles Elliott ; The University System in Italy, by 
Prof. Angelo de Gubernatis, of tin: University of Florence; Universal Education, by 
Ray Palmer; Industrial Art Education, by Eaton S. Drone. 

No. 10. England and the Government. 

By the IU, Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Premier. Contents : A Caustic Review of Beacons- 
lid, i's Policy; A Model Political Document. 

No. 11. Theological Unrest. 

Contents: Science and Theology, Ancieni and Modern, hy James Anthony Fronde; 
The Conflict <<f Science and Religion, by lev. B. A. Washburn, D.D. ; Does Humanity 
Require .1 New Revelation — a Reply to Mr. Froude, by Prof. I'. G. Tait, University of 
Edinburgh. 

83 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD MISCELLANY. 



MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS - ContinueJ. 

No. 14, Practical Work of Painting and Etching. 

With portrait or Rubens. By Philip Gilbert Hainerton. 

No. 21. Modern Schools of Art. 

By Philip Gilbert llamerton. 



CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

The rank Jield by Messrs. a. S. Barnes & Co. (New York and Chicago) lor nearly Qfty 
years as "School and College Text-Book" publishers is exceptional. They are now 
rapidly approaching an equally important rank in the field of hymn and tune books 
for congregational singing in churches of all denominations. They began the publica- 
tion of this kind of book in 1S55, when they issued Mr. Beecher's " Plymouth Collec- 
tion'' (1,374 hymns, with tunes), which, for the first time, brought the tunes down 
Irom the choir loft into the hands of the occupants of the pews, and attained a circu- 
lation nl 75,000 copies. Since that time they have issued the Standard Hymn and Tune 
Books of several denominations. 

CnURCH MUSIC. 

Worship in Song. 

A selection of hymns and tunes for the service of the sanctuary. By Jos. P. Hol- 
brook, Mus. Doe., musical editorof " Songs of the Church," " Songs for the Sanctuary," 
" Baptist Praise Book," " Methodist Hymnal," author of " Quartet and Chorus Choir," 
&c, &c. In this work Dr. Holbrook has put the mature results of long, patient, and 
careful study. His excellent .judgment and taste and the great attractiveness of his 
compositions, and especially his admirable adaptations, have already been noted and 
appreciated by all who are familiar with the former works edited by him. In addition 
to his own more familiar compositions, as well as new tunes which now appear foi the 
first time, the author has drawn upon the store of English and German tunes, such as 
have already become dear to American congregations. Where entirely new tunes 
appear, or such as are not generally known, the chorister will always find an old " stand- 
by " upon the same or opposite page. The book is thus adapted to both the precentor 
and choir. In the selection and arrangement of hymns, he has been efficiently assisted 
by Rev. Dr. J. Glentworth Butler, who has been a life-long student of English hym- 
nology. The work contains 450 pages, in full cloth and burnished edges. 

The Evangelical Hymnal. 

By the Rev. Charles Cuthbert Hall, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, 
N. Y., and Sigismond Lasar, editor of "'The Hyinnary." This book contains approved 
versions of GOO excellent hymns, with tunes by the most celebrated composers of ancient 
and modern times. The adaptations of tunes to hymns have been made with special 
reference to a higher standard of ecclesiastical music than maybe found in any other 
American hymnal. The biographical index contains brief but comprehensive notices 
of authors, translators, and composers ; and much valuable biographical information 
is printed at the heading of each hymn, and in frequent footnotes. 

Baptist Praise Book. 

By Rev. Drs. Fuller. Levy, Phelps, Fish, Armitage, Winkler, Evarts, Lorimer, and 
Manly, and J. P. Holbrook, Esq. 1,311 hymns, with tunes. Edition without tunes. 
Chapel edition, 550 hymns, with tunes. 

Plymouth Collection. 

(Congregational.) By Rev. Henry Ward Beeeher. 1,374 hymns, with tunes. Separate 
edition for Baptist churches Editions without tunes. 

Hymns of the Church. 

(Undenominational.) By Rev, Drs. Thompson, Vermilye, and Eddy. 1.007 hymns, 
with tunes. The use of this book is required in all congregations of the Reformed 

Church in America. Edition without tunes. Chapel edition ("Hymns of Prayer and 
Praise" ), 320 hymns, with tunes. 

84 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD CHURCH-BOOKS. 
CHRISTIAN WORSHIP Continued. 

ANNOUNCEMENT. 

Messrs. Barnes & Co. beg to announce that they have just concluded arrangements 
wiih Rev. Dr. Roswell D. Hitchcock, Rev. Dr. Zachary Eddy.and Rev. Lewis l \ 
for a new Hymn and Tune Book, Carmina Sanctorum, to be confined to 776 hymns and 
to contain the cream of the recent Anglican, German and American tunes, with the 
choicest old and familiar tunes long loved and used in the church, and wedded to the 
hymns. The reduction in number from 1,000 to 776 hymns is accomplished by weeding 
out hymns that arc largely duplicates of each other in substance and expression, it 
will be a grand inarching, lighting book, suitably voicing the courageous piety of the 
day. A bright and vigorous, cheerful, hopeful ami earnest working bunk! It will be. 
issued in editions of hymns only, hymns and times for church and choir, hymns and 
tunes for lecture-room ami small congregations. 

These editions will be made to sell at very lowest possible price, commensurate 
with good work, so as to come within the pecuniary reach of all classes and conditions 
of people. Asa collection of choice and useful hymns it will be wholly reliable and 
unexcelled. 

■Messrs. Barnes & Co. are now the publishers also of the " Hymns and Smi.^s of 
Praise " series, by the same editors and Dr. Scbaflf, heretofore published by Messrs. A. D. 
F Randolph & Co., and will continue the publication at the same prices as heretofore. 
This series has long been said to display more true scholarship in the choice an 1 accu- 
racy of hymns than any other book of the kind published. The large book is unusually 
rich, and has been a storehouse for more recent compilers. The small bonk, intended I'm 
chapels and small rural missionary churches, is pronounced the best book of its kind. 

HYMNS AND SONGS SERIES. 
Carmina Sanctorum. (In Press.) 

By Roswell D. Hitchcock, Zachary Eddy, and Lewis W. Mudgc. For Church and 
Social Worship. 776 Hymns with Tunes. Square Svo. 

Hymns and Songs of Praise. Tune edition. 

By Roswell D. Hitchcock, Zachary Eddy, and Philip Schaff. Musical Editors, J. K. 
Paine, U. C. Burnap, and James Flint. 
For Public and Social Worship. 600 Pages, 1400 Hymns, 450 Tunes and Chants. 

Hymns and Songs of Praise. Hymns only. 
Hymns and Songs for Social Worship. 

By Roswell D. Hitchcock, Zachary Eddy, and Philip Schaff. Lewis W. Mud je, 
Musical Editor. 

For Chapels, Rural Churches, and small Congregations. 

G60 Hymns, 21 Doxologies, Apostles' Creed, 34 Chants. Full Indexes, 296 Tunes. 
Square 12mo. 

PARTIAL LIST OF CHURCHES USING "HYMNS AND SONGS 
OF PRAISE." 



Connecticut. 

First Congregational Church, Fairfield. 

" Glastonbury. 
" Norwalk. 
" Norwich. 
" " New Britain. 

Congregational Church, Lisbon. 

Weathersfield. 
Wolcott. 
Vestry, Second Congregational Church, 

Worthington. 
Chapel, State Hospital. New Haven. 
Church at East Hampton. 



Colorado. 
Presbyterian Church, Greeley. 

Indiana. 
Congregational Church, Elkhart. 
Reformed Church, Poland. 

Illinois. 
Second Presbyterian Church, Chicago. 
Third Presbyterian Church, Chicago. 
Leavitt Shed Congregational, Chicago 
Christ Church, Reformed Episcopal, 
Chicago. 



85 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD CHURCH-BOOKS. 



CHRISTIAN WORSHIP — Continued. 



Saint John's Reformed Episcopal, Chicago. 
First, Presbyterian Church, Manteno. 
Presbyterian Church, Albany. 
" " El Paso. 

" " Riverside. 

" " Streator. 

" " Taylorville. 

" " Woodstock, 

" " Paxton. 

Congregational Church, Blue. Island. 
DanviUe. 
" " Broughton. 

" " Elmwood. 

" Hillsboro. 
" Harristown. 
" Lanark. 
" Lisbon. 
" Morrison. 
" " Poplar Grove. 

Sterling. 
" Wayne. 

Iowa. 
Presbyterian Church, Colfax. 
Eldora. 
" " Garden Grove. 

" Garrison. 

" Williamsburgh. 
Congregational Church, Clinton. 
" " Farragut. 

" Stacyville. 
" College Spring. 

Rhinebeck. 
" Montour. 
Hope Chapel, Cedar Rapids. 

Kansas. 
Congregational Church, Eureka. 
Congregational Church, Russell. 
Independence, Rev. F. C. Scoville. 

Maine. 
Church at Andover. 
Church at Denmark. 

Massachusetts. 
First Congregational Church, Billerica. 
First Congregational Church, Cambridge. 
Congregational Church, Jericho Center. 
" Bridgewater. 
" Concord. 
" Campello. 
" " Haverhill. 

" Grantville. 
Westfleld 
" Weymouth. 
" Smith Hadley. 
" " Prescott 

( alvimstis Congregational Church. Fitch- 
burg. 
North Congregational Church, Fall River. 



Iinnianuel Congregational Church, Boston 

Highlands. 
Maple Street Congregational Church, 

Danvers. 
Chapel, church of Pilgrimage, Plymouth. 
Mission Chapel, Williainsfcown. 
Union Chapel, East Hamilton. 
Mount Holyokc Seminary, South Hadley. 

Michigan. 
First Congregational Church, Detroit. 
Ft. Wayne Congregational Church, Detroit. 
Trumbull Avenue Congregational Church, 

Detn.it. 
Reformed Episcopal Church, Detroit. 
First Congregational Church, Armada. 
Presbyterian Church, Armada. 

" " New Baltimore. 

" SaultSto. Marie. 
Holland. 
Burr Oak. 
" " Bad Axe. 

" jCanton. 
" " Quiney. 

First Congregational, Owasso. 
FiiSt Congregational, St. Clair. 
Congregational Church, Charlotte. 
" Chelsea. 
" Augusta 

Grand Rapids. 
Bay City. 
" Rochester. 
" Stanton. 
" Metamores. 
" Summit. 

White Cloud. 
" New Haven. 
" " Kalkaska. 

" Kalamazoo. 

Hersey Congregational Church, Osceola. 

Iinnianuel Church, Oxford. 

Church at Unadilla, Rev. T. B. Williams. 

Minnesota. 
First Congregational Church, Minneapolis. 
Congregational Church, Glencoe, 
Presbyterian Church, St. Cloud 
School at Winnebago City. 

Missouri. 
Lafayette Park Presbyterian Church, St 

Louis. 
Fifth Congregational Church, St. Louis. 
Congregational Church, Moniteau. 
Presbyterian Chapel, Boon vide. 

Nebraska. 

Congregational Church, Blair. 
Congregational church. Maineland. 
Presbyterian church, Oakdale. 

Church at Newcastle. 



80 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD CHURCH-BOOKS. 
CHRISTIAN WORSHIP — Continual. 

Episcopal Common Praise. 

The service set to appropriate music, with tunes for all the hymns in the book of 
Common Prayer. 

Hymnal, with Tunes. 

(Episcopal.) By Hall & Whiteley. The New Hymnal, set to music. Edition, with 
chants. Edition of hymns only ( "Companion " Hymnal). 

Quartet and Chorus Choir. 

By J. P. Holbrook, Mus, Doc. An admirable collection of approved hymns and 
tunes suitable for choirs. 

Pilgrim Melodies. 

By J. E. Sweetser. Hymns and tunes. 

Christian Melodies. 

By Geo. B. Cheever. Hymns and times. 

Mount Zion Collection. 

By T. E. Perkins. For the choir. 

Selah. 

By Thos. Hastings. For the choir. 

LITURGICAL. 

Public Worship. 

Containing complete services (not Episcopal) for live Sabbaths ; for use in schools, 
public institutions, summer resorts, churches without a settled pastor; in short, 
wherever Christians desire to worship, no clergyman being present. 

The Union Prayer-Book. 

A manual for*poblic and private worship. With those features which are objection- 
able to other denominations of Christians than Episcopal eliminated or modified. 
Contains a service for Sunday-schools and family prayers. 

The New Psalter. 

Selections from the Psalms, Isaiah, and New Testament, for responsive reading 
Founded on the Revised Version. Prepared by the Rev. R. S. Storrs, D.D. 

Precept and Praise. 

A manual of worship and study for Sunday-schools. 

A General Liturgy and Book of Common Prayer. 

By Prof. Hopkins of Auburn Theological Seminary. 

This is a complete liturgy and prayer book for non-episcopal churches. 

Stacy's Service of Song. 

A treatise on singing in private devotion, in the family, in the school, and in the 
worshipping congregation. By Rev. A. G. Stacv. With introduction and indorsement 
ot Rev. Thomas O. Summers, D.D. In this book the author reviews the history of 
music in churches and gives an interesting account of the quality, character, and 
lorms thereof at the present time. 

87 



THE NATIONAL SERIES OF STANDARD CHURCH-BOOKS. 
CHRISTIAN WORSHIP — Continued. 

PREPARATORY FOR COMMUNION. 
Ray Palmer's " Remember Me ; " 

Or, The Hor.v COMMUNION. 102 pages, 12mo, cloth, rod lino, rod burnished edge*, 
illuminated. This chaste and beautiful book is prepared by tin- Rev. Dr. Ray Palmer, 

author of many of our finest church hymns, such as " My Faith Looks up to Tlioe." 
J 1 1 it he speaks with the force of his own lovely character, directly to the heart of bid 
readers, and seeks t<> bring the groat facts set forth in the ordinance of the Holy Sup- 
per into immediate contact with the religious sensibilities. In the book, poetry and 
prose are intermingled, many of the poetical pieces having been written for this bunk 
Contents: Invocation; Texts; Design of Ordinance; Questions for Self-exam- 
ination; Hymn; Meditations: Monday, "Anticipation," with sonnet and stanzas; 
Tuesday," Passover," with sonnet and stanzas ; Wednesday, " Unmasking," with sonnet 
and stanzas ; Thursday, "Holy Supper," with sonnet and' sacramental hymn : Friday, 
"Parting Words,'' &c. ; Saturday, " Gethsemane ; " Sabbath morn, ** Calvary ; " Sab- 
bath eve, "After tho Sacrament" 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

Sabbath-School Hymnal. 

By Rev. Edwin P. Parker, D.l>. A novel feature is here presented for the first time, 
namely, the beautiful melodies of Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, .Mendelssohn, Alit, and 
others, heretofore known only as compositions for the piano-forte or orchestra, are 
now appropriately adapted to hymns of deep religious thoughl and pure devotion. No 
sensational hymns nor trashy melodies. The author, being a man of rare musical 
attainments, has enjoyed an unusual opportunity of testing the value of his ideas in 
connection with his ministerial duties, and, as a result, this hymnal has been prepared. 
In the schools now using it the singing has invariably improved, and the children have 
been educated to a purer and loftier appreciation of the divine art, 165 pages in board 
covers. m 

" A sign of reaction from the hitherto I "Among recent collections it deserves 
prevalent trash." — New York Indepen- the first examination^** — Sitnilay-Schn<4 
dent. I Times. 

Coronation Hymns and Songs. 

By Rev. C. F. Dooms, D.D., and T. E Perkins. Hoards. 

Sabbath Carols. 

By T. E. Perkins. Boards. 

Songs of Delight. 

By Z. M. Parvin, Boards and cloth. Boards. 



TEMPERANCE. 
Francis Murphy's Gospel Temperance Hymnal. 

Edited by Rev. J. F. Rankin, D.D., and E. S. Lorenz. Boards 

This Hymnal is especially arranged, by Mr. Murphy's request, from old and original 
matter, much of which is especially fitted for distinctive gospel temperance work, and 
no less fitted for Sunday-schools and homes. 

" Incomparably the best temperance song book published. " — Chicago Advance, 

88 



BARNES'S POPULAR HISTORY 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 

By the author of Barnes's " Brief Histories for Schools." Complete in i traperb 

royal octavo volume of 800 pages. Illustrated with 820 wood engravings and 11 steel 
plates, covering the period from the Discovery of America to the Accession of Pi 
Arthur. 

Parti. Colonial Settlement; Exploration ; Conflict ; Manners ; Customs; Educa- 
tion ; Religion, &c, &c., until political differences with (licit Britain threatened open 
rupture. 

Part II. Resistance to the Acts of Parliament ; Resentment of British Policy, and 
the Succeeding War for American Independence. 

Part III. From the Election of President Washington to that of President Lincoln, 
with the expansion and growth of the Republic ; its Domestic Issues and its Foreign 
Policv. 

Part IV. The Civil War and the End of Slavery. 

Part V. The New Era of the Restored Union ; with Measures of Reconstruction ; 
the Decade of Centennial Jubilation, and the Accession of President Arthur to Office. 

Appendix. Declaration of Independence ; The Constitution of the United Stales 
and its Amendments; Chronological Table and Index; Illustrated History of the 
Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia. 

The wood and steel engravings have been expressly chosen to illustrate the customs of 
the periods reviewed in the text. Ancient houses of historic note, and many portraits of 
early colonists, are thus preserved, while the elaborate plans of the Exposition of 1870 
are fully given. The political characteristics of great leaders and great parties, which 
had been shaped very largely by the issues which belonged to slavery and slave labor, 
have been dealt with in so candid and impartial a manner as to meet the approval of 
all sections of the American people. The progress of science, invention, literature, and 
art is carefully noted, as well as that of the national physical growth, thus condensing 
into one volume material which is distributed through several volumes in larger works. 
Outline maps give the successive stages of national expansion, and special attention 
has been given to those battles, by land and sea, which have marked the military growth 
of the republic, Agp^ Specially valuable for reference in schools and households. 



From Prof. F. F. Barrows, Brown School, 
Hartford, Conn. 
" Barnes's Popular History has been in 
our reference library for two years. Its 
concise and interesting presentation of 
historical facts causes it to be so eagerly 
read by our pupils, that we are obliged to 
duplicate it to supply the demand for its 
use." 

From Hon. John R. Buck. 
" I concur in the above." 

From Hon. J. C. Stockwell. 
"I heartily concur with Mr. Barrows in 
the within commendation of ' Barnes's 
Popular History,' as a very interesting and 
instructive book of reference." 
From A. Morse, Esq. 
" I cordially concur in the above." 

From Rev. Wm. T. Gage. 
" I heartily agree with the opinions 
above expressed." 

From David Crary, Jr. 
"The best work for the purpose pub- 
lished." 

Prices. Cloth, plain edge, 85.00 ; cloth, richly embossed, gill edge, S6.00; sheep 

marble edge, $7.00 ; half calf, $S.OO ; half morocco, SM.00 ; full morocco, gilt, $10.00. 



From Prof. S. T. Dutton, SuperiiUendt t 

of Schools, New Haven, Conn. 

" It seems to me to be one of the best 

and most attractive works of the kind I 
have ever seen, and it will be a decided 
addition to the little libraries which we 
have already started in our larger 
schools." 

From Prof. Wm. Martin, of Beattystown, 
N. J. 
"This volume is well adapted to the 
wants of the teacher. A concise, well- 
arranged summary of events, and just the 
supplement needed by every educator who 
teaches American history." 

From Prof. C. T. R. Smith, Prvncipal oj 

the Lonslnijbuvgh, N. Y., Academy. 

"In the spring I procured a copy of 

' Barnes's Popular History of (he United 
States,' and have used it daily since, in 
preparing my work with my class in Ameri- 
can history, with constantly increasing 
admiration at the clearness, fairness, and 
vividness of its style and judicious 
tion of matter." 



S<) 



